Leucocasia gigantea

Leucocasia gigantea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Colocasieae
Genus: Leucocasia
Schott (1857)
Species:
L. gigantea
Binomial name
Leucocasia gigantea
(Blume) Schott (1857)
Synonyms[1]
  • Caladium giganteum Blume (1823)
  • Colocasia gigantea (Blume) Hook.f. (1893)
  • Arisaema fouyou H.Lév. (1914)
  • Colocasia prunipes K.Koch & C.D.Bouché (1855)

Leucocasia gigantea, also called the giant elephant ear or Indian taro, is a species of flowering plant. It is a 1.5–3 m (4 ft 11 in – 9 ft 10 in) tall aroid plant with a large, fibrous corm, producing at its apex a whorl of thick, green leaves.[2] It is the sole species in genus Leucocasia.[1]

Cultivation

Leucocasia gigantea is a "sister species" to another widely-cultivated 'taro', Colocasia esculenta, as well as to the alocasias, such as the large Alocasia macrorrhizos; it is speculated that L. gigantea was created as a result of natural hybridization between A. macrorrhizos and C. esculenta.[3] It is called 'dọc mùng' in northern Vietnam and 'môn bạc hà' or 'bạc hà' in some provinces in southern Vietnam.[4][5][6]

In Japanese, it is commonly called ハス芋 (hasu-imo),[7] or "lotus yam". It is known as ryukyu in Kōchi Prefecture, as it is found in the Ryukyu Kingdom.[citation needed]

Uses

In addition to its value as a starchy root vegetable—known by many names, such as taro, or arbi (in Hindi)—the plant’s leaf stalk (petiole) is also used as a vegetable in some areas of Southeastern Asia and Japan.[citation needed] It is sometimes used as an ingredient in miso soup, chanpurū and sushi.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b Leucocasia gigantea (Blume) Schott. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  2. ^ Anton Ivancic et al. Thermogenesis and flowering biology of Colocasia gigantea, Araceae Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine J Plant Res (2008) 121:73–82.
  3. ^ "The global diversity of Taro: ethnobotany and conservation" (PDF). Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  4. ^ Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue 'Taro diversity and use in Vietnam'. Ethnobotany and genetic diversity of Asian taro: focus on China
  5. ^ Loài Dọc mùng[permanent dead link‍] Tri thức việt - Vietgle.
  6. ^ Matsuda M, Nawata E; "Taro in Northern Vietnam : Its Uses, Cultivation, and Genetic Variation" Japanese Journal of Tropical Agriculture, VOL.46;NO.4;PAGE.247-258(2002)
  7. ^ Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue 'Taro diversity and use in Vietnam' Ethnobotany and genetic diversity of Asian taro: focus on China
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