''Xanthosoma'' is a genus of
flowering plants in the arum family,
Araceae. 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 territorie ...
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 corms, an important food staple
A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and ...
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) as Singapore taro (''taro kongkong''). Many other species, including especially '' Xanthosoma roseum'', are used as ornamental plants; 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, many Paci ...
'', or as elephant ear from visual resemblance of the leaf to an elephant's ear. Sometimes the latter name is also applied to members in the closely related genera '' Caladium'', '' Colocasia'' ( taro), 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 flowers on the upper part. Prior to opening, the inflorescence 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 of ...
. 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 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 auriculatum
''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 stap ...
'' Regel - northwestern Brazil
#''Xanthosoma baguense
''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 st ...
'' 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
''Xanthosoma brasiliense'' is a species of flowering plant in the Araceae. Common names include Tahitian spinach, tannier spinach, belembe,Kays, S. J. (2011). Cultivated Vegetables of the World: a Multilingual Onomasticon.' Wageningen Academic Pub ...
'' (Desf.) Engl. – Tahitian spinach - Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Trinidad & Tobago; naturalized in southern Brazil
#''Xanthosoma brevispathaceum
''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 stap ...
'' Engl. - Peru
#''Xanthosoma caladioides
''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 stap ...
'' Grayum - Panama
# ''Xanthosoma caracu
''Xanthosoma caracu'' (yautia horqueta) is a species of edible plant described by Karl Koch and Carl David Bouché. It is native to South America and cultivated in Puerto Rico.
Description
''Xanthosoma carau'' grows to between to in height. ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''Xanthosoma eggersii'' is a species of plant in the family Araceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' Engl. - Colombia
#''Xanthosoma fractum
''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 stap ...
'' Madison - Peru
#''Xanthosoma granvillei
''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 stap ...
'' Croat & Thomps. - French Guiana
#''Xanthosoma guttatum
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' (Jacq.) Schott – belembe silvestre - from Costa Rica south to central Brazil; naturalized in West Indies
# ''Xanthosoma herrerae
''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 stap ...
'' 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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
#''Xanthosoma maximiliani
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' Bogner & L.P.Hannon - Colombia
#''Xanthosoma nitidum
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' (Bogner & Mayo) Bogner - Colombia
#''Xanthosoma pariense
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' (Schott) Engl. - Brazil
#''Xanthosoma platylobum
''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 stap ...
'' (Schott) Engl. - Brazil
#''Xanthosoma plowmanii
''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 stap ...
'' Bogner - Brazil
#''Xanthosoma poeppigii
''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 stap ...
'' Schott - Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina
#''Xanthosoma pottii
''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 stap ...
'' E.G.Gonç. - Mato Grosso do Sul
#''Xanthosoma puberulum
''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 stap ...
'' Croat - Bolivia
# ''Xanthosoma pubescens
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' (Schott) Schott - southeastern Brazil
#''Xanthosoma riparium
''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 stap ...
'' E.G.Gonç. - Goiás
# ''Xanthosoma robustum
''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 stap ...
'' Schott – capote - Mexico, Central America; naturalized in Hawaii
# '' Xanthosoma sagittifolium'' (L.) Schott (Syn. ''Xanthosoma atrovirens
''Xanthosoma sagittifolium'', the arrowleaf elephant ear, arrowleaf elephant's ear, malanga or American taro, is a species of tropical flowering plant in the genus ''Xanthosoma'', which produces an edible, starchy corm. Cultivars with purple stem ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' (K.Koch & C.D.Bouché) Madison - Brazil, the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay
#''Xanthosoma striolatum
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' Engl. - northwestern Brazil
# ''Xanthosoma undipes
''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 stap ...
'' (K.Koch) K.Koch – tall elephant's ear - widespread from Bolivia north to southern Mexico and West Indies
# ''Xanthosoma viviparum
''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 stap ...
'' Madison - Peru, Ecuador
# ''Xanthosoma weeksii
''Xanthosoma weeksii'' is a species of plant in the family Araceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat l ...
'' 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
''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 stap ...
'' 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
''Caladium lindenii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, named after Belgian botanist Jean Jules Linden
Jean Jules Linden (12 February 1817, '' (André) Madison (as ''X. lindenii'' (André) Engl.)
Etymology
The name is derived from the Greek 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, then spread to the Antilles and Mesoamerica. Today, ''Xanthosoma'' is still grown in all those regions, but is especially popular in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where it is used in '' alcapurrias'' or boiled. It is grown in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
and Jamaica to make the popular '' callaloo'' dish. It is also grown in West Africa, now a major producer, where it can be used as a replacement for yams in a popular regional dish called '' fufu''. ''Xanthosoma'' is also grown as a crop in the Philippines.
Traditionally, ''Xanthosoma'' has been a subsistence crop
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...
with excess sold at local markets, but in the United States, large numbers of Latin American 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, used only in the event of failure of the much preferred taro (''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, this surrounded by smaller edible ''cormels'' about the size of potatoes. 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, fried, or puréed. The young, unfurled leaves of some varieties can be eaten as boiled leafy vegetables 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 solid ing ...
s and stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and ...
s, such as the Caribbean ''callaloo''.
Flour made from ''Xanthosoma'' species is hypoallergenic.[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