View crop

Colocasia esculenta

Authority	(L.)Schott
Family	Liliopsida:Arecidae:Arales:Araceae
Synonyms	Alocasia dussii Dammer, Alocasia illustris Bull., Arum colocasia L, Arum colocasioides Desf., Arum esculentum L., Arum lividum Salisb., Arum nymphaeifolium (Vent.)Roxb., Arum peltatum Lam., Caladium acre R.Br., Caladium colocasia (L.)W.Wight, Caladium colocasioides (Desf.)Brongn., Caladium esculentum (L.) Vent., Caladium nymphaeifolium Vent., Colocasia acris (R.Br.)Schott., Colocasia antiquorum Schott., Colocasia antiquorum var. acris [Schott.] (R.Br.)Engl., Colocasia antiquorum var. aquatilis [Schott.] (Hassk.)Hassk. ex Engl., Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta [Schott.] (L.) Schott. ex Engl., Colocasia antiquorum var. euchlora [Schott.] (K.Koch & Linden)Engl., Colocasia antiquorum var. fontanesii [Schott.] Schott ex Engl., Colocasia antiquorum var. globulifera [Schott.] Engl. & K.Krause, Colocasia antiquorum var. illustris [Schott.] (Bull)Engl., Colocasia antiquorum var. nymphaeifolia [Schott.] (Vent.)Engl., Colocasia antiquorum var. typica [Schott.] Engl., Colocasia esculenta var. acris [(L.)Schott.] (R.B
Common names	alcocaz, arum, ba, boka, botika, ciamo, cocoyam, dalo, dasheen, daun keladi, eddo, elefantenohr, elephant ears, gaui, inhame, kalo, khoai mon, madumbe, malanga, mangasiva sasili, maroepa, matiotio, potato of the tropics, sali, sika, talo, tara, taro, tayoba, te taororo, votuki
Editor
Ecocrop code	758

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A herbaceous plant with a underground corm producing a few large leaves with long erect petioles. It can reach a height of 0.4 to 2 m. The tubers are usually up to 30 cm long and about 15 cm in diameter. USES It is mainly cultivated for its tubers, which contain large quantities of small starch grains and are rich in protein, calcium, and phosphorus, but are low in fats and protein. The tubers and leaves are eaten boiled. The tubers are grated and fermented to make poi or fried chips. Flour is made from the dried corms. GROWING PERIOD Perennial, growing 180-540 days but most forms mature in about 210-300 days. Require at least 180-210 frost-free days a year. COMMON NAMES Cocoyam, Taro, Dasheen, Tayoba, Barbados Eddoe, Chinese Eddoe, Curcas, Bari, Koko, Ya Bere, Kolkas Malangay, Malangu, Taioba, Arvi, Dalo, Taro de Chine, Tallas Abalong Dagmay, Gabi, Lubingan, Pising, Colulu Ya, Yu-tao, Elephant`s Ear, Eddoe, Kalo, Talo. FURTHER INF Scientific synonyms: C. antiquorum, C. antiquorum var. esculenta, C. esculentum. Cocoyam is indigenous to southern Central Asia. The latitudinal range is 35°N to 18°S. It can be grown up to 1000 or even 2700 m in elevation in the tropics and is well adapted to humid conditions. Yields of up to 37 t/ha have been obtained in Hawaii under flooded conditions, while 25 t/ha have been reported under dry-land cultivation. Average yields may range from 4-6 t/ha.
Sources
SOURCES (C. esculenta (L.) Schott.) Sims D (pers. comm.) Landon J 1984 pp 281 [TEXT, DRA, PH, FER] Kassam A 1976 pp 68 Rice R 1990 pp 283-285 [FER, DRA, TEMP, RAIN] Bunting E 1981 pp 29 Eswaran H 1986 Roecklein J 1987 pp 465 [USE] Hackett C 1985 [RAIN, TEMP, LIG, DEP, DRA, PH, SAL, TEXT, FER] Edwards S 1984 pp 141 Purseglove J 1972 pp 62-66 [RAIN, DRA, TEXT, FER] Nair P 1980 pp 117-119 [RAIN, TEMP, TEXT, FER, DRA, USE] National AS 1975 pp 37 Onwueme I 1991 pp 276-288 [RAIN, TEMP, LIG, DRA, PH, SAL] Tindall H 1983 pp 52-56 [FER, DRA, PH, TEMP] Martin F 1984 pp 129-133 [TEMP, RAIN, PHO, DRA, FER, TEXT, PH, USE]