Alocasia macrorrhizos (
AraceaeAraceae is a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like hood. The group also goes by the name of Arum family and species in this...
) is the "giant taro" or "elephant ear taro" of the Pacific islands and the eastern
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
rainforests. Its
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
n name is Ape. In Australia it is known as the "
cunjevoiCunjevoi is a word in Australian English that refers to three species: two related plants of the family Araceae and genus Alocasia, and a marine animal, Pyura stolonifera.-Plants:Cunjevoi can refer to:...
" (although that term also refers to a marine animal). It is edible if cooked for a long time but has irritant sap.
Alocasia species are used as food plants in the Pacific only in times of food shortage.
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Alocasia macrorrhizos (
AraceaeAraceae is a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like hood. The group also goes by the name of Arum family and species in this...
) is the "giant taro" or "elephant ear taro" of the Pacific islands and the eastern
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
rainforests. Its
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
n name is Ape. In Australia it is known as the "
cunjevoiCunjevoi is a word in Australian English that refers to three species: two related plants of the family Araceae and genus Alocasia, and a marine animal, Pyura stolonifera.-Plants:Cunjevoi can refer to:...
" (although that term also refers to a marine animal). It is edible if cooked for a long time but has irritant sap.
Alocasia species are used as food plants in the Pacific only in times of food shortage. The varieties recognized in Tahiti are the Ape oa, haparu, maota, and uahea. The giant heart-shaped leaves make impromptu umbrellas in tropical downpours.
The Polynesian saying: Ai no i ka `ape he nane`o no ka nuku (The eater of `ape will have an itchy mouth) means "there will be consequences for partaking of something bad".
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