''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
s in the arum family,
Araceae
The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). ...
. The genus is native to tropical
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...
but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions.
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
/ref> Several are grown for their starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
y corm
A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ( perennation).
The word ...
s, an important food staple of tropical regions, known variously as ''malanga'', ''otoy'', ''otoe'', cocoyam (or new cocoyam), ''tannia'', ''tannier'', ''yautía'', ''macabo'', ''ocumo'', ''macal'', ''taioba'', ''dasheen'', ''quequisque'', ''ʻape'' and (in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
) as Singapore taro (''taro kongkong''). Many other species, including especially ''Xanthosoma roseum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical Americas, America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important ...
'', are used as ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...
s; in popular horticultural literature these species may be known as ‘ape due to resemblance to the true Polynesian ʻape, ''Alocasia macrorrhizos
''Alocasia macrorrhizos'' is a species of flowering plant in the arum family ( Araceae) that it is native to rainforests of Maritime Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland and has long been cultivated in South Asia, the Philippines, ma ...
'', or as elephant ear from visual resemblance of the leaf
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
to an elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
's ear. Sometimes the latter name is also applied to members in the closely related genera '' Caladium'', ''Colocasia
''Colocasia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to southeastern Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Some species are widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical and subtropical regions.
The names elephant-ear ...
'' (taro
Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afric ...
), and '' Alocasia''.
The leaves of most ''Xanthosoma'' species are long, sagittate (arrowhead-shaped) or subdivided into three or as many as 18 segments. Unlike the leaves of ''Colocasia'', those of ''Xanthosoma'' are usually not peltate- the upper v-notch extends into the point of attachment of the leaf petiole to the blade.
Reproduction
The inflorescence in ''Xanthosoma'' is composed of a spadix with pistillate
Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) '' pistils' ...
flowers at the base, a belt of sterile flowers offered as a reward for pollinators in the middle and staminate
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
flowers on the upper part. Prior to opening, the inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...
is enclosed within a leaf-like spathe
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or o ...
. When the inflorescence is ready to open, the upper part of the spathe opens and exposes the staminate area of the spadix; the basal area of the spathe remains closed, forming a spacious chamber (i.e., the spathe tube) that encloses the pistillate and sterile flowers ().
The inflorescences last for two nights and are protogynous
Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...
in some species (though not others (), changing from the pistillate phase that attracts pollinators on the night it opens, to a staminate phase on the second night, when pollen is shed. When the inflorescence opens, it produces heat and releases a sweet scent attracting its pollinators, dynastine beetles (''Cyclocephala
''Cyclocephala'' is a genus of scarab beetles from the subfamily Dynastinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Beetles of this genus occur from southeastern Canada to Argentina and the West Indies.
Adults of this genus are nocturnal or crepuscular, an ...
'' spp.). Dynastines arrive covered with pollen from another inflorescence and remain in the spathe tube for 24 hours, pollinating the pistillate flowers as they feed on the sterile area of the spadix. On the second night, they come out of the tube and walk over the staminate flowers, getting covered with pollen, and then flying to a recently opened inflorescence nearby. ().
Fruit maturation takes several months. Fruits start to develop within the shelter of the spathe tube. When the infructescence
is mature, in some species, it arches back and downwards. In other species, it stays erect. Then, the tissue of the spathe tube rolls outwards, exhibiting the bright orange fruits and the velvety pink inner spathe surface.
Taxonomy
Species
The following species are accepted:Xanthosoma baguense
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical Americas, America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important ...
'' Croat - northern Peru
#'' Xanthosoma bayo'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma belophyllum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' (Willd.) Kunth - Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas; naturalized in Dominican Republic
#''Xanthosoma bilineatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Rusby - Colombia
#'' Xanthosoma bolivaranum'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
# '' Xanthosoma brasiliense'' (Desf.) Engl. – Tahitian spinach - Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Trinidad & Tobago; naturalized in southern Brazil
#'' Xanthosoma brevispathaceum'' Engl. - Peru
#'' Xanthosoma caladioides'' Grayum - Panama
# '' Xanthosoma caracu'' K.Koch & C.D.Bouché – yautia horqueta - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic
#''Xanthosoma caulotuberculatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma conspurcatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Schott - Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana
#'' Xanthosoma contractum'' G.S.Bunting - Bolívar State of Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma cordatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' N.E.Br. - Guyana, French Guiana
#'' Xanthosoma cordifolium'' N.E.Br. - Guyana
#''Xanthosoma cubense
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' (Schott) Schott - Cuba
#'' Xanthosoma daguense'' Engl. - Colombia, Ecuador
#''Xanthosoma dealbatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Grayum - Costa Rica
# '' Xanthosoma eggersii'' Engl. - Ecuador
#''Xanthosoma exiguum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
#'' Xanthosoma flavomaculatum'' Engl. - Colombia
#'' Xanthosoma fractum'' Madison - Peru
#'' Xanthosoma granvillei'' Croat & Thomps. - French Guiana
#'' Xanthosoma guttatum'' Croat & D.C.Bay - Valle del Cauca in Colombia
#''Xanthosoma hebetatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Croat & D.C.Bay - Valle del Cauca in Colombia
# '' Xanthosoma helleborifolium'' (Jacq.) Schott – belembe silvestre - from Costa Rica south to central Brazil; naturalized in West Indies
# '' Xanthosoma herrerae'' Croat & P.Huang - Colombia
#''Xanthosoma hylaeae
''Xanthosoma hylaeae'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, native to western South America and northern Brazil. A night-bloomer, it uses a variety of scents to attract its pollinators, scarab beetles in the tribe Cyclocephal ...
'' Engl. & K.Krause - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Brazil
#''Xanthosoma latestigmatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Bogner & E.G.Gonç. - Venezuela
#'' Xanthosoma longilobum'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma lucens
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' E.G.Gonç - Rondônia
#'' Xanthosoma mafaffoides'' G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma mariae
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food s ...
'' Bogner & E.G.Gonç. - Peru
#'' Xanthosoma maroae'' G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
#'' Xanthosoma maximiliani'' Schott - eastern Brazil
#''Xanthosoma mendozae
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Matuda - México State in central México
# ''Xanthosoma mexicanum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Liebm. - Chiapas, Oaxaca, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela
# '' Xanthosoma narinoense'' Bogner & L.P.Hannon - Colombia
#'' Xanthosoma nitidum'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
#†'' Xanthosoma obtusilobum'' Engl. - Mexico, probably extinct
#''Xanthosoma orinocense
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
#'' Xanthosoma paradoxum'' (Bogner & Mayo) Bogner - Colombia
#'' Xanthosoma pariense'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma peltatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
#'' Xanthosoma pentaphyllum'' (Schott) Engl. - Brazil
#'' Xanthosoma platylobum'' (Schott) Engl. - Brazil
#'' Xanthosoma plowmanii'' Bogner - Brazil
#'' Xanthosoma poeppigii'' Schott - Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina
#'' Xanthosoma pottii'' E.G.Gonç. - Mato Grosso do Sul
#'' Xanthosoma puberulum'' Croat - Bolivia
# '' Xanthosoma pubescens'' Poepp. - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Brazil
#''Xanthosoma pulchrum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' E.G.Gonç. - Mato Grosso
#'' Xanthosoma riedelianum'' (Schott) Schott - southeastern Brazil
#'' Xanthosoma riparium'' E.G.Gonç. - Goiás
# '' Xanthosoma robustum'' Schott – capote - Mexico, Central America; naturalized in Hawaii
# '' Xanthosoma sagittifolium'' (L.) Schott (Syn. '' Xanthosoma atrovirens'' K.Koch & C.D.Bouché, '' Xanthosoma violaceum'' Schott)- arrowleaf elephant ear, ''tiquizque'', , , or ''American taro'' - Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil; naturalized in West Indies, Africa, Bangladesh, Borneo, Malaysia, Christmas Island, Norfolk Island, some Pacific Islands, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Oaxaca
#''Xanthosoma saguasense
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma seideliae
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Croat - Bolivia
#''Xanthosoma stenospathum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Madison - Peru
# '' Xanthosoma striatipes'' (K.Koch & C.D.Bouché) Madison - Brazil, the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay
#'' Xanthosoma striolatum'' Mart. ex Schott - French Guiana, northern Brazil
#''Xanthosoma syngoniifolium
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Rusby - Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil
#''Xanthosoma taioba
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' E.G.Gonç. - Paraíba
#''Xanthosoma tarapotense
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Engl. - Peru
#'' Xanthosoma trichophyllum'' K.Krause - Peru, Ecuador
#''Xanthosoma trilobum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
#'' Xanthosoma ulei'' Engl. - northwestern Brazil
# '' Xanthosoma undipes'' (K.Koch) K.Koch – tall elephant's ear - widespread from Bolivia north to southern Mexico and West Indies
# '' Xanthosoma viviparum'' Madison - Peru, Ecuador
# '' Xanthosoma weeksii'' Madison - Ecuador
# ''Xanthosoma wendlandii
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' (Schott) Schott (syn. '' Xanthosoma hoffmannii'' Schott, ''Xanthosoma pedatum
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical Americas, America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important ...
'' Hemsl.) Oaxaca, Central America, Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma yucatanense
''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food sta ...
'' Engl. - Yucatán, Quintana Roo
Deprecated
*'' Caladium lindenii'' (André) Madison (as ''X. lindenii'' (André) Engl.)
Etymology
The name is derived from the Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
words (), meaning 'yellow', and (), meaning 'body'. It refers to the stigma or yellow inner tissues.
Uses
Domestication of ''Xanthosoma'' species (especially '' X. sagittifolium'' but also ''X. atrovirens'', ''X. violaceum'', ''X. maffaffa'' and others) is thought to have originated in northern lowland South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...
, then spread to the Antilles
The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...
and Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. W ...
. Today, ''Xanthosoma'' is still grown in all those regions, but is especially popular in Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, where it is used in '' alcapurrias'' or boiled. It is grown in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...
, Guyana and Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
to make the popular ''callaloo
Callaloo (many spelling variants, such as kallaloo, calaloo, calalloo, calaloux or callalloo; ) is a popular Caribbean vegetable dish. There are many variants across the Caribbean, depending on the availability of local vegetables. The main i ...
'' dish. It is also grown in West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mau ...
, now a major producer, where it can be used as a replacement for yams in a popular regional dish called ''fufu
Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou ) is a dough-like food found in West African cuisine. In addition to Ghana, it is also found in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, th ...
''. ''Xanthosoma'' is also grown as a crop in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Traditionally, ''Xanthosoma'' has been a subsistence crop with excess sold at local markets, but in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, large numbers of Latin American
Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-et ...
immigrants have created a market for commercial production. In general, production has yet to meet demand in some areas. In Polynesia, ''Alocasia macrorrhizos'' (‘ape) was considered a famine food
A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily available food used to nourish people in times of hunger and starvation, whether caused by extreme poverty, such as during economic depression or war, or by natural disasters such as ...
, used only in the event of failure of the much preferred taro
Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afric ...
(''kalo'') crop. After having been introduced to Hawaiʻi in the 1920s from S. America, "Xanthosoma" has naturalized and has become more common than ''A. macrorrhizos'', and has adopted the same name, ʻape.
The typical ''Xanthosoma'' plant has a growing cycle of 9 to 11 months, during which time it produces a large stem called a corm
A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ( perennation).
The word ...
, this surrounded by smaller edible ''cormels'' about the size of potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern Un ...
es. These cormels (like the corm) are rich in starch. Their taste has been described as earthy and nutty, and they are a common ingredient in soups and stews. They may also be eaten grilled
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...
, fried, or purée
A purée (or mash) is cooked food, usually vegetables, fruits or legumes, that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid. Purées of specific foods are often known by specific names, e.g., apple ...
d. The young, unfurled leaves of some varieties can be eaten as boiled leafy vegetable
Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad g ...
s or used in soup
Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling soli ...
s and stews, such as the Caribbean ''callaloo''.
Flour made from ''Xanthosoma'' species is hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic, meaning "below average" or "slightly" allergenic, is a term meaning that something (usually cosmetics, pets, textiles, food, etc.) causes fewer allergic reactions. The term was first used in 1953 in an advertising campaign for cos ...
.[Vaneker, K]
The Pomtajer.
Page 216 ''In'': Friedland, S. R., Ed. ''Vegetables: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2008'': Volume 26 of ''Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery''. Oxford Symposium, 2009.
Gallery
File:Xanthosoma sagittifolium at Kadavoor.jpg, Inflorescence of '' Xanthosoma sagittifolium''
File:Inflo detail.jpg, Inflorescence of ''X. daguense''
File:Xanthosoma pollination.jpg, Beetle pollination in ''X. daguense''
File:Infruc Xanthosoma copy.jpg, Infructescence of ''X. poeppigii'' (Peruvian Amazonas); ''X. daguense'' (Western Cordillera of Los Andes, Colombia)
References
External links
*
*
''Xanthosoma'' spp. at Purdue University, Center for New Crops & Plants Products
{{Taxonbar, from=Q763075
Araceae genera
Root vegetables
Leaf vegetables
Staple foods