Elephant foot yam
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A taro family plant but with a very divided leaf. It grows to 0.75-1 m high. It is a herbaceous plant with rough and mottled leaf stalks. It has a straight stem and the leaf is divided into leaflets. The leaves can be 1 m in width. The leaves usually come singly from the ground. The leaf blades are divided into many lobes. The leaflets can be 3-35 cm long and 2-13 cm wide. The flower stalk can be 3-20 cm long. The bract around the flower is bell shaped and fluted. It can be 60 cm across. The edge is curved back and wavy. The flower is dull purple and up to 30 cm across. It can be 70 cm long. The flower gives of a bad smell like rotting meat and this attracts flies. The flower only develops after the leaves have died off. The leaves and corms especially in the wild varieties contain many stinging crystals. Edible kinds have a smooth petiole. It has a large round tuber up to 25 cm across. The large round underground corm produces small corms around the side. These can be 10 cm long. These are usually used for planting.

There are about 170-200 Amorphophallus species. It has benefits against colon cancer.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs mainly in seasonally dry areas and grassland up to 800 m altitude in equatorial zones. It requires an average temperature of 25-35°C and rainfall of 1000-1500 mm during the growing season. Soils need to be well drained as it cannot stand waterlogging. It occurs widely around the Philippines in low altitude places especially where people have cleared the forest. It is common in Indonesia and Vietnam. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji, French Polynesia, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marquesas, Myanmar, Nepal, Niue, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Polynesia, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Timor

How it is used for food

The corm is cooked and eaten. In some kinds it is burned and smashed with salt and eaten with rice. The young unopened leaves are edible cooked. The young petioles or leaf stalks are eaten cooked. They are often eaten with fish. They are also used in soup. The harvested stalks can only be stored for about one week.

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. In Papua New Guinea this plant is only grown and used by people in a few locations. It is more important in some other countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and India. It is sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Tuber, roots, corm, leaves, leaf stalks, vegetable

How it is grown

The cormels are planted. Seeds will grow but flowers need hand pollination. Small corms from around the side are the normal part planted. If a very small corm is planted, the plant may need to grow for several seasons to produce a large yield. Setts or small cormels of 200 g are suitable for use planted at 30 cm x 30 cm spacing and produce seed corms of about 500 g. Larger corms take 3-4 years to produce. This is achieved by digging up corms and replanting next season. Each crop takes about 8 months to mature. Corms are planted 15 cm deep. Spacing is increased between plants in successive years of growth. After harvest, the corm needs to be kept for a few months before it is ready to produce a new shoot and re-grow.

The stalk dies back when the plant is mature. The corm will keep for several months. An individual corm can finally weigh 8 kg. When it is planted a single leaf stalk is produced and the irregular shaped leaf is produced at the top of the stalk. Eventually the corm under the ground increases in size then the leaf dies back. The corm could be harvested and stored, or eaten at this stage. If it is just left, a very large flower is produced. This type of growth pattern where vegetative growth is followed by a storage organ with dormancy, is the type of growth that suits areas with a distinct wet and dry season. It has the advantage that the corm will store well after harvest and can be eaten in the dry season when food is short.

Its other names

Local names

Achung, Adavi kanda, Arsaghna, Ba-tel-hawng, Badur, Baghraj, Balbag, Balukand, Bebebikeno, Buk, Chena, Daiga, Duk deu, Fi’i Andoi, Hakai, Hita, Iles-iles, Jimikanda, Jimmikand, Kaan, Kadu suvaragedde, Kalungu, Kamarn, Kanda, Karnai-kilangu, Karruna, Kembang bangah, Keobi, Khoai nua, Khoebi, Kidaran, Karunaikkalangu, Kolbot, Leba, Loka, Loki, Nua chuong, Olakunda, Ol kasu, Ol kochu, Ol, Ole, Olodot, Olua, Ool, Pende, Pungapung, Raja ala, Soa, Sooran, Sop, Soro, Stinking Snakeskin Lily, Suran, Suvarna gadde, Suweg, Talingo potato, Telinga potato, Teve, Tigi, Ubi kekek, Voodoo lily, Wa-u-bin, Wa-u-pin, Wal-kidaran, Walur, Whitespot giant arum, Wupwarna, Zamin-kand

Synonyms

Amorphophallus campanulatus Decne.; Amorphophallus campanulatus var. blumei Prain; Amorphophallus campanulatus f. damleyensis F. M. Bailey; Amorphophallus chatty Andre; Amorphophallus decurrens (Blanco) Kunth; Amorphophallus dixenii K. Larsen & S. S. Larsen; Amorphophallus dubius Blume; Amorphophallus giganteus Blume [Illegitimate]; Amorphophallus gigantiflorus Hayata; Amorphophallus malaccensis Ridley; Amorphophallus microappendiculatus Engler; Amorphophallus paeniifolius var. campanulatus (Decne.) Sivad.; Amorphophallus rex Prain; Amorphophallus rex Prain ex Hook.f.; Amorphophallus sativus Blume; Amorphophallus virosus N. E. Brown; Arum campanulatum Roxb. [Illegitimate]; Arum decurrens Blanco; Arum phalliferum Oken; Arum rumphii Gaudich. [Illegitimate]; Arum rumphii Oken; Candarum hookeri Schott [Illegitimate]; Candarum roxburghii Schott [Illegitimate]; Candarum rumphii Schott [Illegitimate]; Conophallus giganteus Schott ex Miq. [Illegitimate]; Conophallus sativus (Blume) Schott; Dracontium paeoniifolium Dennstaedt, (paeoniaefolium); Dracontium polyphyllum Dennst. [Illegitimate]; Dracontium polyphyllum G. Forst.; Hydrosme gigantiflora (Hayata) S. S. Ying; Kunda verrucosa Raf. [Illegitimate]; Plesmonium nobile Schott; Pythion campanulatum Mart.;