Lasia, Livid flower, Unicorn plant
Lasia spinosa
Family: Araceae
What it is like
A big leafy herb. It often has a creeping rhizome. It grows to 40-120 cm high. The stems are thorny. Leaves grow out of the ground. They are sword shaped or with lobes extending three-quarters of the way to the midrib. The leaves are thorny along the veins. Leaves are 30-45 cm long and 25 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 25-50 cm long. Leaves are medium green. The leaf like structure around the flower is twisted and opens out only at the base. It is 15-30 cm long and brown. The flowers occur tightly together without flower stalks. The flowers have both sexes. They are like a cylinder and 2-3 cm long by 7.5 mm wide. They increase to three times this size. The fruit is green, fleshy and spiny. It is composed of a berry which is oval and has a sharp point at the top. It is 1 cm long. The seed are 5 mm long and 3.5 mm wide.
Rhizomes and leaves are used in medicine. There are 2 Lasia species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It is found in moist shady areas along rivers in evergreen forest. It grows in swampy places and wetlands. It can tolerate slightly brackish water. It needs a temperature between 25-35°C. In Papua New Guinea it grows from sea level to 500 m altitude. In Vietnam it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. In Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia (country/location of origin), Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam
How it is used for food
Young leaves are eaten as vegetables. They must be cooked or fermented to remove the bitter and poisonous hydrocyanic acid. (This breaks down with cooking) The fruit are eaten after being put in salt water (brine). The leaf stalks are peeled and used in curries to add flavour. The flower spadix is cooked as a vegetable. The harvested flowers can be stored for 7 days. The tubers are peeled then eaten after boiled. The corms can be stored for long periods in dry, well ventilated rooms. Leaves can be stored for 3 days.
Plants grow wild and are cultivated and are sold in markets in Thailand. It is commonly used in Sri Lanka.
Edible parts
Leaves, roots, fruit, flowers, leaf stalk, rhizome
How it is grown
Plants can be grown by the creeping stems and also by seeds. The small tubers off the corms can be planted. They are planted in a hole.
Its other names
Local names
Asi ange, Bob nam, Changhrat, Chengmora, Chibru, Choc gai, Chonggi, Chusot, Gali-gali, Gegeli, Geli-geli, Golonta, Gongal-kanda, Hamwey, Henru ehong, Hotuplo, Janum saru, Jokha, Kanta kachoramu, Kanta kachu, Kanta saru, Kata kachu, Kattosh, Kebeibua, Kohila, Kohowila, Laksmana, Mop, Mulasari, Nchew, Neerugaddalu, Ngambing, Nhaam, Pachak, Pak naam, Pak-nam, Palang, Phak haam, Phak naam, Rashia supinosa, Rau gai, Ray gai, Sambeng, Sampi, Seng mora, Shidabu, Shir gantha, Sibru, Sor vi, Thatha khlao, Thwaites sampi, Unikon, Yang dou, Zayit
Synonyms
Dracontium spinosum Linnaeus; Lasia aculeata Lour.; Lasia crassifolia Engl.; Lasia descuscens Schott; Lasia hermannii Schott; Lasia heterophylla (Roxb.) Schott; Lasia jenkinsii Schott; Lasia roxburghii Griff.; Lasia zollingeri Schott; Pothos heterophyllus Roxb.; Pothos lasia Roxb.; Pothos spinosus (L.) Buch.-Ham. ex Wall.; Lasia macrophylla Schott.; ?