Calathea allouia

Calathea allouia is a tender evergreen perennial reaching 2 m tall by 1 m wide at moderate growth rate, hardy to UK zone 10 only. It accommodates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage and grows across a wide pH range from very acid to very alkaline. The plant tolerates semi-shade to full light and prefers consistently moist soil.

Description

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 1.5 m high. It has an underground rhizome or stem. There are several large leaves. The leaf is oblong and 20-60 cm long by 5-20 cm wide. The flowering stalk is 5-10 cm long. The flowers are in a spiral. They are white. The underground tubers are 1-5 cm long and 0.5-3 cm wide. They can be larger. They are covered with a yellowish-grey paper like skin. The tubers develop at the ends of the fibrous roots.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves Root Edible Uses: Edible portion: Tubers, Root, Flowers, Leaves - flavour, Vegetable. Root - cooked. Rich in starch. The crisp cooked tubers are very agreeable with a flavour like sweetcorn. It is used in salads, stews and fish dishes. Their unique texture makes them a gourmet item. Used in similar ways to potatoes. A commercially cultivated vegetable. The tubers are 2 - 8cm long and 2 - 4cm in diameter. Young tender flower spikes - cooked. The leaves are used for wrapping tamales and other foods, to which they impart flavour. Tubers are 6.6% protein on a dry matter basis.

Traditional Uses

The tubers are cooked and eaten. It is used in salads, stews and fish dishes. Young flower clusters are cooked and eaten. The leaves are used to wrap food to add flavour.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It requires a hot, even temperature. It does best with temperatures between 25-30°C. It needs a moderate rainfall. (1500-2000 mm). When there is plenty of humidity, nutrients and good soil drainage, plants do best in full sunlight. It is often grown in shade. They need soils rich in organic matter. In SE Asia it probably grows up to 600 m altitude. In Guatemala it grows to 1,400 m above sea level. Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

Where It Grows

Africa, Amazon, Antilles, Asia, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Hispaniola, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, South America, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Indies,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from rhizomes, suckers or offshoots. Plants only occasionally flower and do not produce viable seed. The tuberous roots are stored in a coo, dry place until they are transplanted. Plants are spaced about 0.5 m apart. The rhizomes produce about 20 shoots around them.

Propagation

Seed - Division of tubers Cuttings of basal shoots.

Other Uses

Basketry Other uses rating: Low (1/5). In former times, the plant played a more important role for making blankets, mattresses, pillows, baskets and umbrellas. Special Uses

Production

A crop of tubers is ready 10-12 months after planting. Yields of 10 tonnes per hectare are possible. Yields per plant vary between 100 and 2,200 g.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. They are sold in street markets.

Notes

Tubers are 6.6% protein on a dry matter basis. There are 260-300 Calathea species in tropical America.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Agua bendita, Allelouia, Alleluia, Alluia, Aria, Chufle, Cocurito, Curcuma d'Amerique, Dale dale, Dali dali, Guinea arrowroot, Lairem, Laren, Leren, Lerenes, Lleren, Sweet corn root, Sweet corn tuber, Sweet-corm-root, Toompinanpur, Topee Tambu, Topi-tambu, Topinambour, Sehui

References (27)

• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 73 (Also as Calathea violacea)
• Bot. Reg. 14: t. 1210. 1829
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 406
• Cobley, L.S. (rev. Steele, W.M.) 2nd Ed., 1976, An Introduction to the Botany of Tropical Crops. Longmans. p 127
• Ekman Herbarium records Haiti

More from Marantaceae

Ischnosiphon arouma

Maranta arundinacea

Arrowroot

Maranta gibba

Maranta ruiziana

Ma-ke'-ree-pa, Sio, Inchahuy

Marantochloa conferta

Marantochloa cuspidata