Gynostemma pentaphyllum

Gynostemma pentaphyllum is a plant belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae that is useful as an adaptogen and as an antioxidant. It is also known as the Chinese herb jiaogulan. There doesn't seem to be too much information about growing it on the internet, but I decided that I needed it, and threw in a few bucks for some seeds. Luckily enough, I managed to have some success.

The plants grew quite easily from seed, much to my surprise, as I was expecting them to require perfect conditions for starting. In fact, my conditions are probably the opposite of what seeds would like for germination. I started the seeds by putting them in moist soil in pots, and left them in the cold basement. They did get little heat from heat lights, but the temperature is always quite cool there. I would recommend slightly warmer conditions for seeds though. Germination should take around two weeks.

The plants are vigorous, with iconic five-lobed leaves.

The plants are also starting to form tendrils for climbing!

The seeds are small and black, without many distinguishing characteristics other than that. I ordered mine from Horizon Herbs, and would recommend them to interested gardeners. Their seeds are good quality with reasonable pricing.