Cleome gynandra, spider plant or thaila keerai, is a fast-growing annual whose slightly bitter leaves are cooked as greens in Tamil Nadu and across Africa, where it is one of the most important traditional leafy vegetables. It grows as a weed on field bunds and wasteland, and it is also sown in kitchen gardens. Its white or pink flowers with long, spidery stamens give it the English name.
- Botanical name
- Cleome gynandra L.
- Family
- Cleomaceae
- Tamil
- Thaila keerai
- Hindi
- Hurhur
- Parts used
- Leaf
- Habit
- Spider plant; Tamil keerai is a shop word
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Spider plant
It is an upright annual, knee- to waist-high, with hairy, sometimes slightly sticky stems.
The leaves are palmately compound, usually with five oval leaflets spreading like the fingers of a hand.
Flowers are white to pale pink, with four petals and long stamens. The ovary sits on a long stalk above the petals, which is what gynandra refers to.
The pods are long and slender. Sticky cleome, Cleome viscosa, has yellow flowers and much stickier stems.
Traditional use of Spider plant
Tamil kitchen
Thaila keerai leaves are cooked into poriyal or kootu, often mixed with milder greens to soften the bitterness.
Tamil food practice
African kitchen
In Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa the leaves are boiled, sometimes with milk or groundnut paste, and dried for storage.
African food practice
Modern notes on Spider plant
Nutrition studies show the leaves are rich in protein, iron, calcium, vitamin C and carotenoids. African research programmes promote it as a nutritious indigenous vegetable.
The sharp taste comes from glucosinolates, related to those in mustard and cabbage.
Spider plant safety
Cook the leaves before eating. Cooking reduces bitterness and some of the sharper compounds.
Ecology and sourcing
It grows across the tropics and subtropics of Africa and Asia, in fields, gardens and disturbed ground.
It matures fast after the rains, so it is a useful early-season green.
Its flowers attract bees, butterflies and moths.
Related plants
Also in Cleomaceae
Questions about Spider plant
Is Spider plant a spider plant houseplant?
No. The houseplant is Chlorophytum comosum.
What older names does Cleome gynandra go by?
Gynandropsis gynandra and Cleome pentaphylla.
Is Spider plant naikadugu?
No. Naikadugu is Cleome viscosa, the sticky yellow-flowered species.
How do I tell Spider plant apart quickly?
White or pink flowers and five-fingered leaves.
Sources
- Cleome gynandra L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q2717584 (Cleome gynandra)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.