Chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) is nicknamed tree spinach but that’s kind of like calling iceberg lettuce spinach. Chaya contains more than twice as much protein, calcium, Vitamin C, iron, fiber and caronteniods as spinach, according to a USDA report.
It’s also much easier to grow. It’s a dietary staple on the semi-arid Yucatan Penninsula but also thrives in Florida’s hot, rainy summers.
Like many tropical plants (including spinach to a lesser degree), chaya contains hydrocyanic glucosides in its leaves. Cooking the leaves inactivates the toxic compound.
We grow both the very attractive deep-lobed variety and the larger-leaf hog variety that probably provides more food per plant. Please make a note in the comment section if you have a preference. (We don’t grow the variety with stinging nettles!)
Shipments outside the U.S. typically require a phytosanitary statement from the USDA at a cost of approximately $60.00. | 
