Palm grass
Curculigo latifolia

Family: Hypoxidaceae

What it is like

A tufted herb. It grows 60-80 cm tall. It has tuberous rhizomes and slender creeping stolons. It produces a cluster of 4-7 leaves from the roots. The leaves arise from the ground. They are 40-90 cm long by 5-14 cm wide. They are pleated. The flowers are in dense groups and are nodding. They are yellow. The fruit is an almost round berry and 5 mm across. The seeds are black and sweet.

The seeds contain curculon which is 550 times sweeter than sucrose. Also put in the family Amaryllidaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in clear forests. It grows in moist shady places. It grows in the humid tropics.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andaman Islands, Asia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, North America, Philippines, SE Asia, Thailand, USA, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten. The fruit have a slightly sweet taste and after they are eaten other foods taste sweet for an hour or so.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from ripe seeds. They can also be grown by division of the rootstock and from offsets.

Its other names

Local names

Daun matahari, Dong sbat, Lamba biasa, Lemba, Lembah, Lumbah, Lunbah rimba, Lunbah padi, Kelapa puyoh, Labpak, Rumput palem, Tambaka

Synonyms

Curculigo borneensis Merr.; Curculigo latifolia Dryand. ex W. T. Aiton; Curculigo villosa Kurz; Molineria longiflora Kurz; Molineria latifolia (Dryand ex W. T. Aiton) ; and several others