Arisaema flavum

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows about 35 cm high. It has tubers and forms two leaves. The leaves have stalks. These are divided into leaflets like fingers which radiate and are without leaflet stalks. These vary in size. The bract around the flower is yellow outside and purplish inside. It is squat and 2-3.5 cm long. It covers the flowers inside. It is greenish yellow and with a bright yellow re-curved tip. The flowers do not have stalks and are yellow. They form a club shape.

There are about 150-170 Arisaema species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It Nepal it grows from 2000-3600 m altitude. It grows in moist, open places. It is frost hardy.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Arabia, Asia, Australia, Bhutan, China, East Africa, Ethiopia, Himalayas, India, Kashmir, Middle East, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Somalia, Tasmania, Tibet, Yemen

How it is used for food

The young leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The dried old leaves are cooked as a vegetable. The corm is crushed and dried and ground to a powder. This is then mixed with water and cooked for 30 minutes. The corm or tubers are cooked slowly then eaten. This took 8-10 hours. Caution: The fresh plant is poisonous and needs processing.

The leaves are eaten as a famine food.

Edible parts

Leaves, corm, caution, tuber, root, vegetable

How it is grown

It is grown from corms.

Its other names

Local names

Bako, Banko, Bir banko, Chare banko, Dhabma dhunchen, Dha-got, Dhawa, Dhayung, Dhowa, Duo ya, Dwa ba, Jhangush, Litota, Luo ya, Qolcooma, Qoltso, Sarpako makai, Talo, Tangso, Timchu, Timju, Timtry, Tinchu

Synonyms

Ariseama abbreviatum Schott.; Arum flavum Forsskal; Doschafa flava (Forsskal) Schott;