Amorphophallus paeoniifolius

Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, the elephant foot yam or whitespot giant arum, is a tropical plant native to Island Southeast Asia. It is cultivated for its edible tubers in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Madagascar, New Guinea, and the Pacific islands. Because of its production potential and popularity as a vegetable in various cuisines, it can be raised as a cash crop.

Description

A taro family plant but with a very divided leaf. It grows to 0.75-1 m high. It is a herbaceous plant with rough and mottled leaf stalks. It has a straight stem and the leaf is divided into leaflets. The leaves can be 1 m in width. The leaves usually come singly from the ground. The leaf blades are divided into many lobes. The leaflets can be 3-35 cm long and 2-13 cm wide. The flower stalk can be 3-20 cm long. The bract around the flower is bell shaped and fluted. It can be 60 cm across. The edge is curved back and wavy. The flower is dull purple and up to 30 cm across. It can be 70 cm long. The flower gives of a bad smell like rotting meat and this attracts flies. The flower only develops after the leaves have died off. The leaves and corms especially in the wild varieties contain many stinging crystals. Edible kinds have a smooth petiole. It has a large round tuber up to 25 cm across. The large round underground corm produces small corms around the side. These can be 10 cm long. These are usually used for planting.

Edible Uses

The corm must be thoroughly boiled or baked before eating, as it is acrid when raw. Corms can grow very large — up to 50cm in diameter — and are usually harvested when three years old, at which point they can weigh up to 9kg. They can be stored for several months at 10°C. Fresh corms are turned into curd or chopped and dried. The curd is relatively tasteless but absorbs flavours well, making it a useful carbohydrate element in a wide range of other foods. Young leaves and petioles can also be eaten as a vegetable, but must be thoroughly cooked. Some caution is advised regarding toxicity for both the corms and leaves.

Traditional Uses

The corm is cooked and eaten. In some kinds it is burned and smashed with salt and eaten with rice. The young unopened leaves are edible cooked. The young petioles or leaf stalks are eaten cooked. They are often eaten with fish. They are also used in soup. The harvested stalks can only be stored for about one week.

Medicinal Uses

The root is carminative, restorative, stomachic, and tonic. It is dried and used in the treatment of piles and dysentery. The fresh root acts as an acrid stimulant and expectorant, and is widely used in India in the treatment of acute rheumatism. Some caution is advised regarding toxicity.

Known Hazards

Raw corms are acrid and toxic; must be thoroughly boiled or baked. Young leaves contain possible toxins and must be thoroughly cooked.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It occurs mainly in seasonally dry areas and grassland up to 800 m altitude in equatorial zones. It requires an average temperature of 25-35°C and rainfall of 1000-1500 mm during the growing season. Soils need to be well drained as it cannot stand waterlogging. It occurs widely around the Philippines in low altitude places especially where people have cleared the forest. It is common in Indonesia and Vietnam. In XTBG Yunnan.

Where It Grows

American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji, French Polynesia, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marquesas, Myanmar, Nepal, Niue, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Polynesia, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Timor,

Cultivation

The cormels are planted. Seeds will grow but flowers need hand pollination. Small corms from around the side are the normal part planted. If a very small corm is planted, the plant may need to grow for several seasons to produce a large yield. Setts or small cormels of 200 g are suitable for use planted at 30 cm x 30 cm spacing and produce seed corms of about 500 g. Larger corms take 3-4 years to produce. This is achieved by digging up corms and replanting next season. Each crop takes about 8 months to mature. Corms are planted 15 cm deep. Spacing is increased between plants in successive years of growth. After harvest, the corm needs to be kept for a few months before it is ready to produce a new shoot and re-grow.

Propagation

Seed — best sown in a pot in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe, with the pot sealed in a plastic bag to retain moisture. Germination usually occurs within 1–8 months at 24°C. When large enough to handle, prick seedlings out into individual pots and grow on in the greenhouse for at least a couple of years. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts, providing protection such as a cloche until the plants are growing away strongly.

Other Uses

Plants are often grown as an understorey crop in woodlands or in plantations of betel (Areca spp.), coconuts (Cocos nucifera), bananas (Musa spp.), or coffee (Coffea spp.). The plant is noted as scented.

Production

The stalk dies back when the plant is mature. The corm will keep for several months. An individual corm can finally weigh 8 kg. When it is planted a single leaf stalk is produced and the irregular shaped leaf is produced at the top of the stalk. Eventually the corm under the ground increases in size then the leaf dies back. The corm could be harvested and stored, or eaten at this stage. If it is just left, a very large flower is produced. This type of growth pattern where vegetative growth is followed by a storage organ with dormancy, is the type of growth that suits areas with a distinct wet and dry season. It has the advantage that the corm will store well after harvest and can be eaten in the dry season when food is short.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. In Papua New Guinea this plant is only grown and used by people in a few locations. It is more important in some other countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and India. It is sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 170-200 Amorphophallus species. It has benefits against colon cancer.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Achung, Adavi kanda, Arsaghna, Ba-tel-hawng, Badur, Baghraj, Balbag, Balukand, Bebebikeno, Buk, Chena, Daiga, Duk deu, Fi’i Andoi, Hakai, Hita, Iles-iles, Jimikanda, Jimmikand, Kaan, Kadu suvaragedde, Kalungu, Kamarn, Kanda, Karnai-kilangu, Karruna, Kembang bangah, Keobi, Khoai nua, Khoebi, Kidaran, Karunaikkalangu, Kolbot, Leba, Loka, Loki, Nua chuong, Olakunda, Ol kasu, Ol kochu, Ol, Ole, Olodot, Olua, Ool, Pende, Pungapung, Raja ala, Soa, Sooran, Sop, Soro, Stinking Snakeskin Lily, Suran, Suvarna gadde, Suweg, Talingo potato, Telinga potato, Teve, Tigi, Ubi kekek, Voodoo lily, Wa-u-bin, Wa-u-pin, Wal-kidaran, Walur, Whitespot giant arum, Wupwarna, Zamin-kand

References (142)

• Elephant foot yam references
• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 36 (As Amorphophallus campanulatus)
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 202 (As Amorphophallus campanulatus)
• Anon., 1939, Note sur une plante a tubercles amylaces d'Ilis-Ilis de Java (Amorphophallus campanulatus Blume). Agron. colon. 28(255), 84-87.
• Anon., 1960/61. Effect of waxing on elephant yam Amorphophallus campanulatus. Ann. Rep. cent. Fd. technol. res. Inst. Mysore p 3

More from Araceae

Spathiphyllum commutatum

Peace lily

Spathiphyllum friedrichsthalii

Peace lily

Spathiphyllum phryniifolium

Guisnay, Huisnay

Spathiphyllum sp.

Spirodela polyrhiza

Great duckweed, Zi peng, Duckmeat

Spirodela polyrrhiza - (L.)Schleid.

Great Duckweed, Common duckmeat