Xanthosoma brasiliense

Xanthosoma brasiliense
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Caladieae
Genus: Xanthosoma
Species: X. brasiliense
Binomial name
Xanthosoma brasiliense
(Desf.) Engl.

Xanthosoma brasiliense is a species of flowering plant in the Araceae. Common names include Tahitian spinach, tannier spinach, belembe,[1][2] and Tahitian taro.[3][4] It is one of several leaf vegetables used to make callaloo, and it may be called calalu in Puerto Rico.[5]

This plant is a perennial herb with large leaf blades borne on long petioles up to 60 centimeters.[3] The plant can reach one meter in height.[6]

This plant was domesticated in the Amazon and it is now grown throughout tropical regions of the world. The leaves and stems are cooked and eaten as vegetables. It is cooked to remove calcium oxalate crystals, which are present in the leaves of aroids.[7] Unlike some other tannia (Xanthosoma spp.),[6] the corms are not used for food because they are small and underdeveloped.[7]

References

  1. Kays, S. J. (2011). Cultivated Vegetables of the World: a Multilingual Onomasticon. Wageningen Academic Pub pg 37.
  2. Xanthosoma brasiliense. Germplasm Resources Information Network.
  3. 1 2 Xanthosoma brasiliense. FAO Ecocrops.
  4. Wong, M. Edible plants for Hawai'i landscapes. University of Hawai'i Cooperative Extension. May 2006.
  5. Callaloo. Huffington Post Food Encyclopedia.
  6. 1 2 Manner, H. I. Farm and Forestry Production and Marketing Profile for Tannia (Xanthosoma spp.). Specialty Crops for Pacific Island Agroforestry.
  7. 1 2 Toensmeier, E. (2007). Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to Zuiki Taro, a Gardener's Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Grow Edibles. Chelsea Green Publishing pg 91.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.