Giant Taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos)

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Alocasia macrorrhizos
Leaves
Inflorescence
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Alocasia
Species:
A. macrorrhizos
Binomial name
Alocasia macrorrhizos
Synonyms[1]
28 synonyms
  • Arum macrorrhizon L.
  • Caladium macrorrhizon (L.) R.Br.
  • Colocasia macrorrhizos (L.) Schott
  • Alocasia cordifolia (Bory) Cordem.
  • Alocasia gigas Chantrier ex André
  • Alocasia grandis N.E.Br.
  • Alocasia harrisii-pulchrum Pynaert
  • Alocasia insignis Pynaert
  • Alocasia marginata N.E.Br.
  • Alocasia pallida K.Koch & C.D.Bouché
  • Alocasia plumbea Van Houtte
  • Alocasia rapiformis (Roxb.) Schott
  • Alocasia uhinkii Engl. & K.Krause
  • Arum cordifolium Bory
  • Arum mucronatum Lam.
  • Arum peregrinum L.
  • Arum rapiforme Roxb.
  • Caladium indicum K.Koch
  • Caladium metallicum Engl.
  • Caladium plumbeum K.Koch
  • Calla badian Blanco
  • Calla maxima Blanco
  • Colocasia boryi Kunth
  • Colocasia mucronata (Lam.) Kunth
  • Colocasia peregrina (L.) Raf.
  • Colocasia rapiformis (Roxb.) Kunth
  • Philodendron peregrinum (L.) Kunth
  • Philodendron punctatum Kunth

Alocasia macrorrhizos is a species of flowering plant in the arum family (Araceae) that it is native to rainforests of Maritime Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Murray Islands group in the Torres Strait.[1] It has long been cultivated in South Asia, the Philippines, many Pacific islands, and elsewhere in the tropics. Common names include giant taro,[2] giant alocasia, ʻape, biga,[3] and pia.[4] In Australia it is known as the cunjevoi[4] (a term which also refers to a marine animal).

History

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Giant taro in Jinguashi, Taiwan

The giant taro was originally domesticated in the Philippines, but are known from wild specimens to early Austronesians in Taiwan. From the Philippines, they spread outwards to the rest of Maritime Southeast Asia and eastward to Oceania where it became one of the staple crops of Pacific Islanders.[5][6] They are one of the four main species of aroids (taros) cultivated by Austronesians primarily as a source of starch, the others being Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, Colocasia esculenta, and Cyrtosperma merkusii, each with multiple cultivated varieties. Their leaves and stems are also edible if cooked thoroughly, though this is rarely done for giant taro as it contains higher amounts of raphides which cause itching.[7][8]

The reconstructed word for giant taro in Proto-Austronesian is *biRaq, which became Proto-Oceanic *piRaq. Modern cognates in Maritime Southeast Asia and Micronesia include Rukai vi'a or bi'a; Ifugao bila; Ilocano, Cebuano, and Bikol biga; Tiruray bira; Ngaju biha; Malagasy via; Malay and Acehnese birah; Mongondow biga; Palauan bísə; Chamorro piga; Bima wia; Roti and Tetun fia; Asilulu hila; and Kowiai fira. In Oceania, cognates for it include Wuvulu and Aua pia; Motu and ꞋAreꞌare hira; Kilivila and Fijian via; and Hawaiian pia. Note that in some cases, the cognates have shifted to mean other types of taro.[9][5]

Uses

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Binagol, a Filipino sweet delicacy made from mashed giant taro corms and coconut milk

The sap can irritate the skin due to the presence of needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate (known as raphides), but the plant is edible if cooked for a long time.[10] Plants harvested later[timeframe?] will have more raphides.[11] Alocasia species are commonly found in marketplaces in Samoa and Tonga and other parts of Polynesia. The varieties recognized in Tahiti are the Ape oa, haparu, maota, and uahea. The Hawaiian saying: ʻAi no i ka ʻape he maneʻo no ka nuku (The eater of ʻape will have an itchy mouth) means "there will be consequences for partaking of something bad".[12]

The giant heart-shaped leaves make impromptu umbrellas in tropical downpours.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  2. ^ NRCS. "Alocasia macrorrhizos". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  3. ^ Sutarno, Hadi. "Alocasia macrorrhizos (PROSEA)". Pl@ntUse. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Alocasia macrorrhizos". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  5. ^ a b Osmond, Meredith (1998). "Horticultural practices" (PDF). In Ross, Malcolm; Pawley, Andrew; Osmond, Meredith (eds.). The lexicon of Proto Oceanic : The culture and environment of ancestral Oceanic society. Vol. 1: Material Culture. Pacific Linguistics. pp. 115–142. doi:10.15144/PL-C152.115.
  6. ^ Nauheimer, Lars; Boyce, Peter C.; Renner, Susanne S. (April 2012). "Giant taro and its relatives: A phylogeny of the large genus Alocasia (Araceae) sheds light on Miocene floristic exchange in the Malesian region". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 63 (1): 43–51. Bibcode:2012MolPE..63...43N. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.12.011. PMID 22209857.
  7. ^ Manner, Harley I. (2006). "Farm and Forestry Production Marketing Profile for Giant Tao (Alocasia macrorrhiza)" (PDF). In Elevitch, Craig R. (ed.). Specialty Crops for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Permanent Agricultural Resource (PAR).
  8. ^ Matthews, Peter J. (1995). "Aroids and the Austronesians". Tropics. 4 (2/3): 105–126. doi:10.3759/tropics.4.105.
  9. ^ Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen (2013). "The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary: A Work in Progress". Oceanic Linguistics. 52 (2): 493–523. doi:10.1353/ol.2013.0016. S2CID 146739541.
  10. ^ Susan Scott; Craig Thomas (2009). Poisonous Plants of Paradise: First Aid and Medical Treatment of Injuries from Hawaii's Plants. University of Hawaii Press.
  11. ^ Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 69. ISBN 0415927463.
  12. ^ Pukui, Mary Kawena (1986). 'Ōlelo No'eau, Hawaiian Proverbs and Sayings. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press.
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Synonyms

  • 'Ape

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