Black arum, Barter's arum
Amorphophallus abyssinicus

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A fleshy plant. The stems are erect and stout. The leaves arise from the tuber. They are 60 cm high and wide. The leaves are rich green and umbrella like. They are deeply divided around the edges. The bract that surrounds the flower is dark reddish-purple and slender. The edges are wavy. The spadix is 20 cm long.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in damp places in savanna. It needs rich, moist well-drained soil. It is damaged by drought and frost. In Ethiopia it grows between 1,300-2,000 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Australia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Caution: It has toxic oxalates unless properly cooked and prepared. It is cooked for a long time.

A famine food.

Edible parts

Leaves, stem, tuber, roots, corm

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by division.

Its other names

Local names

Bagana, Bagane, Nkona

Synonyms

Amorphophallus abyssinicus subsp. abyssinicus; Amorphophallus anisolobus Peter; Amorphophallus barteri N.E.Br.; Amorphophallus chevalieri (Engl.) Engl. & Gehrm.; Amorphophallus coffeatus Stapf; Amorphophallus foetidus (Engl.) Engl. & Gehrm.; Amorphophallus gratus (Schott) N.E.Br.; Amorphophallus schweinfurthii (Engl.) N.E.Br.; Amorphophallus schweinfurthii f. laciniatus Engl.; Amorphophallus warneckei (Engl.) Engl. & Gehrm.; Arum abyssinicum A.Rich.; Corynophallus gratus (Schott) Kuntze; Hansalia grata Schott; Hydrosme chevalieri Engl.; Hydrosme foetida Engl.; Hydrosme grata (Schott) Engl.; Hydrosme schweinfurthii Engl.; Hydrosme seretii De Wild.; Hydrosme warneckei Engl.; Amorphophallus mossambicensis (Schott) N. E. Br.; ?