Alocasia lancifolia
Engl.
gbif· cc0
President and Fellows of Harvard College
gbif· cc0
President and Fellows of Harvard College
gbif· cc0
President and Fellows of Harvard College
Description
A taro family plant. It is an erect robust herb. It has leaves that are long, large and upright. The leaves are mid green and with rather indistinct secondary veins. The leaves are oval and sword shaped. The base of the leaves has very small triangular lobes. The leaf like structure around the flower is bright green and barely opens. It becomes red and remains after the fruit appear. At the base of the plant is a corm made up of a fattened part covered with overlapping leaf bases. It has a lily type flower.
Edible Uses
The leaves are occasionally eaten and recorded as consumed in some areas, though this is a very minor wild food source.
Traditional Uses
The leaves are recorded as eaten in some areas.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows wild in some lowland rainforest areas in Papua New Guinea. It prefers damp soil and is often near flowing water.
Where It Grows
Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG,
Other Information
A very minor wild edible food in Papua New Guinea. The leaves are occasionally eaten.
Notes
There are about 60-70 Alocasia species.
References (3)
- French, B., 1986, Food Plants of Papua New Guinea, Asia Pacific Science Foundation p 307
- Hay, A., 1990, Aroids of Papua New Guinea. CRI publication No. 10.
- H. Lorentz, Nova Guinea 8:807, t. 147. 1912
