Xanthosoma

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Xanthosoma

Xanthosoma is a genus of about 50 species of tropical and sub-tropical arums in the flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
family, Araceae

Araceae

Araceae 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....
, all native to tropical America

Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
. Several species are grown for their starch

Starch

File:Amylose2.svgFile:Amylopektin Sessel.svgStarch or amylum is a polysaccharide carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds....
y corm

Corm

A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant Plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
s, an important food staple

Root vegetable

Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Other underground plants are often, erroneously, called root vegetables. Root vegetables include both true roots such as tuberous roots and taproots, but exclude non-roots such as tubers, rhizomes, corms, and bulbs....
of tropical regions, known variously as malanga, new cocoyam, tannia, tannier, yautía, macabo, taioba , dasheen and ‘ape. Many other species (including especially X.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Xanthosoma'

Start a new discussion about 'Xanthosoma'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Xanthosoma is a genus of about 50 species of tropical and sub-tropical arums in the flowering plant
Flowering plant

The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of Embryophytes. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of Spermatophyte....
family, Araceae
Araceae

Araceae 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....
, all native to tropical America
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
. Several species are grown for their starch
Starch

File:Amylose2.svgFile:Amylopektin Sessel.svgStarch or amylum is a polysaccharide carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds....
y corm
Corm

A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant Plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
s, an important food staple
Root vegetable

Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Other underground plants are often, erroneously, called root vegetables. Root vegetables include both true roots such as tuberous roots and taproots, but exclude non-roots such as tubers, rhizomes, corms, and bulbs....
of tropical regions, known variously as malanga, new cocoyam, tannia, tannier, yautía, macabo, taioba , dasheen and ‘ape. Many other species (including especially X. roseum) are utilized as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, Plant stem and bark....
s, and in popular horticultural literature are known as ‘ape or elephant ear (from the purported resemblance of the leaf to an elephant
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
's ear
Ear

The ear is the sense organ that detects sounds. The vertebrate ear shows a common biology from fish to humans, with variations in structure according to order and species....
), although the latter name is sometimes also applied to members with similar appearance and uses in the closely related genera of Caladium
Caladium

Caladium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. They are often known by the common name elephant ear , Heart of Jesus, and Angel Wings....
, Colocasia
Colocasia

Colocasia is a genus of six to eight species of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical Polynesia and southeastern Asia ....
(i.e., taro
Taro

Taro , more rarely kalo , gabi in The Philippines and dalo in Fiji is a tropical plant grown primarily as a root vegetable for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable....
), and Alocasia
Alocasia

Alocasia is a genus of broad-leaved rhizomatous or bulbous perennials from the Family Araceae. There are about 70 species of Alocasia occurring in Asia, Oceania and South America....
.

The leaves
Leaf

In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant Organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin, to expose the cells containing chloroplast to light over a broad area, and to allow light to penetrate fully into the tissues....
of most Xanthosoma species are 40-200 cm long, sagittate (arrowhead-shaped) or subdivided into 3 or as many as 18 segments. Unlike the leaves of Colocasia, those of Xanthosoma are usually not peltate—the upper v-notch extends in to the point of attachment of the leaf petiole to the blade.

Pollination biology

The inflorescence in Xanthosoma is composed of a spadix with pistillate flowers at the base, a belt of sterile flowers offered as a reward for pollinators in the middle and staminate flowers on the upper part. Prior to opening, the inflorescence is enclosed within a leaf-like spathe. When the inflorescence is ready to open, the upper part of the spathe opens and exposes the staminate area of the spadix; the basal area of the spathe remains closed, forming a spacious chamber (i.e., the spathe tube) that encloses the pistillate and sterile flowers .

The inflorescences last for two nights and are protogynous in some species (though not others , changing from the pistillate phase that attracts pollinators on the night it opens, to a staminate phase on the second night, when pollen is shed. When the inflorescence opens it produces heat and releases a sweet scent attracting its pollinators, Dynastine beetles (Cyclocephala spp.). Dinastines arrive covered with pollen from another inflorescence and remain in the spathe tube for 24 hours, pollinating the pistillate flowers as they feed on the sterile area of the spadix. On the second night, they come out of the tube and walk over the staminate flowers, getting covered with pollen and then flying to a recently opened inflorescence nearby. . Fruit maturation takes several months. Fruits start to develop within the shelter of the spathe tube. When the infructescence is mature, in some species it arches back and downwards. In other species it stays erect. Then, the tissue of the spathe tube rolls outwards, exhibiting the bright orange fruits and the velvety pink inner spathe surface .

Crop uses

Top Yautía (Cocoyam) Producers - 2005 and 2006
(million metric ton)
2005 2006
225873 175000
59169 75070
- 52000
33636 33636
31660 31660
World Total 420972 386000
Data from The UN Food & Agriculture Organisation
Domestication of Xanthosoma species (especially X. sagittifolium
Xanthosoma sagittifolium

Xanthosoma sagittifolium, the arrowleaf elephant ear or arrowleaf elephant's ear, is a species of tropical flowering plant in the genus Xanthosoma, which produces an edible, starchy tuber....
but also X. atrovirens, X. violaceum, X. maffaffa, and others) is thought to have originated in northern lowland South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
then spread to the Antilles
Antilles

The Antilles Antillas in Spanish language; Antillen in Dutch language) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the Caribbean in the Caribbean Sea....
and Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica

Mesoamerica or Meso-America is a region and cultural area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, within which a number of pre-Columbian society flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries....
. Today Xanthosoma is still grown in all those regions but is especially popular in Cuba
Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is a country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba , the island of Isla de la Juventud, and several adjacent small islands....
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
, where it is used in Alcapurria
Alcapurria

Alcapurria is a dish from Puerto Rico made from a mixture of mainly yaut?a and may contain ground squash, plantains, green banana and other starchy tropical tubers filled with ground beef or crab meat and deep fried in oil....
s. It is grown in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an island country in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American country of Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles....
, Guyana
Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is the only state of the Commonwealth of Nations on mainland South America....
and Jamaica
Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is about south of Cuba, and west of the island of Hispaniola, on which Haiti and the Dominican Republic are situated....
to make the popular callaloo
Callaloo

Callaloo is a Caribbean dish that is most popular in Trinidad and Tobago, with variants in Guyana, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Haiti, Dominica, and Jamaica....
dish.It is also grown in West Africa
West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries distributed over an area of approximately 5 million square km:...
, now a major producer, where it can be used as a replacement for yams
Yam (vegetable)

Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea .These are perennial plant herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania....
in a popular regional dish called fufu
Fufu

Fufu, variants include foofoo, foufou, foutou or fufu, is a staple food of West Africa and Central Africa. It is a thick paste or porridge usually made by boiling starchy root vegetables in water and pounding with a large Mortar and pestle until the desired consistency is reached....
. Xanthosoma is also grown as a crop in the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
.

Traditionally Xanthosoma has been a subsistence crop with excess sold at local markets, but in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, large numbers of Latin American immigrants have created a market for commercial production. In general, production has yet to meet demand in some areas. In Polynesia, Xanthosoma (‘ape) was considered a famine food
Famine food

A famine food or poverty food is any inexpensive or readily-available foodstuff used to nourish people in times of extreme poverty or starvation, as during a war or famine....
, utilized only in the event of failure of the much preferred taro
Taro

Taro , more rarely kalo , gabi in The Philippines and dalo in Fiji is a tropical plant grown primarily as a root vegetable for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable....
(kalo) crop.

The typical Xanthosoma plant has a growing cycle of 9 to 11 months, during which time it produces a large stem called a corm
Corm

A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant Plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
, this surrounded by smaller edible cormels about the size of potato
Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family. The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well....
es. These cormels (like the corm) are rich in starch. Their taste has been described as earthy and nutty and they are a common ingredient in soups and stews. They may also be eaten grilled
Grilling

Grilling or broiling is a form of cooking that involves direct heat. Devices that grill are called grill . The definition varies widely by region and culture....
, fried
Frying

Frying is the cooking of food in oil or fat, a technique that originated in ancient Old_Kingdom around 2500BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed....
, or purée
Purée

Pur?e and mash are general terms for food, usually vegetables or legumes, that have been ground, pressed, and/or strainer to the consistency of a soft paste or thick liquid....
d. The young, unfurled leaves of some varieties can be eaten as boiled leafy vegetables or used in soup
Soup

Soup is a food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables in Stock or hot/boiling water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth....
s and stew
Stew

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy.Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, poultry, sausages and seafood....
s, such as the Caribbean callaloo
Callaloo

Callaloo is a Caribbean dish that is most popular in Trinidad and Tobago, with variants in Guyana, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Haiti, Dominica, and Jamaica....
.

Xanthosoma starch is highly hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic

Hypoallergenic is a term coined by advertisers and first used in a cosmetics campaign in 1953. It is used to describe items that cause or are claimed to cause fewer allergy reactions....
due to the small size of the starch grains.

Species include:

Xanthosoma eggersii
Xanthosoma eggersii

Xanthosoma eggersii is a species of plant in the Araceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
Xanthosoma sagittifolium
Xanthosoma sagittifolium

Xanthosoma sagittifolium, the arrowleaf elephant ear or arrowleaf elephant's ear, is a species of tropical flowering plant in the genus Xanthosoma, which produces an edible, starchy tuber....
, called arrowleaf elephant ear, tiquizque, macal, nampi or malanga
Xanthosoma violaceum
Xanthosoma violaceum

Xanthosoma violaceum, commonly known as Tiquisque, is a Spain fruit that looks like a yellow-red juicy and plump cashew with a ripe red grape on top....
, also called tiquisque
Xanthosoma weeksii
Xanthosoma weeksii

Xanthosoma weeksii is a species of plant in the Araceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....

Gallery

External links