Rhodospatha latifolia
Poeppig & Endl.
Rhodospatha
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(c) jose_balderrama, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by jose_balderrama
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) jose_balderrama, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by jose_balderrama
iNaturalist· cc-by
(c) Diogo Luiz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Diogo Luiz
Description
A climbing herb. The leaves are in 2 vertical rows. They are oblong to narrowly oval. The flowering shoots occur singly. The spathe is yellowish-white and pink in the centre. The fruit is a berry. The seeds are kidney shaped and flattened.
Edible Uses
The young leaves are eaten as a vegetable and used in tamales.
Traditional Uses
The young leaves are used in tamales. They are eaten as a vegetable.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows in tropical humid forests up to 700 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Asia, Central America, Ecuador, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Indonesia, Panama, Peru, SE Asia, South America*, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
Also Known As
Akar rodospata, Col del monte, Kakirpas, Katirpas
References (5)
- Kew Plants of the World onLine
- Pohle, P. & Reinhardt, S., 2004, Indigenous knowledge of plants and their utilization among the Shuar of the lower tropical mountain forest in southern Ecuador. Lyonia 7(2)
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 1133
- Torre, de la L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 189
- Van den Eynden, V., et al, 2003, Wild Foods from South Ecuador. Economic Botany 57(4): 576-603
