Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G. Don
Family
Araceae
Synonyms
Alocasia indica (Lour.) Spach.
Vernacular Names
| Malaysia | Birah negeri, keladi sebaring. |
| English | Giant taro, giant alocasia, elephant ear |
| Indonesia | Bira (General), sente (Javanese), mael (Timor). |
| Papua NewGuinea | Abir, pia, via. |
| Philippines | Biga (General), bira (Ilokano), badiang (Tagalog, Bisaya). |
| Burma(Myanmar) | Pein-mohawaya. |
| Cambodia | K’da:t haôra:. |
| Laos | Kaph’uk. |
| Thailand | Kradaat (Bangkok), kradaat dam (Kanchanaburi), horaa (Songkhla, Yala). |
| Vietnam | R[as]y, r[as]y [aw]n. |
| French | Grande tayove |
Geographical Distributions
It is unclear where A. macrorrhizos is indigenous. It does not appear to be wild in Malesia, but has been introduced and is often naturalised in the Malesian region and Oceania, and elsewhere in the tropics. Perhaps it should be considered a cultigen.
Description
A. macrorrhizos is a very large herb that can reach up to 400 cm tall, with erect or decumbent stem.
The leaves are not peltate with a size of 80 cm x 60 cm. The petiole is up to 130 cm long but not mottled. The spadix is 13-20 cm long.
Ecology / Cultivation
A. macrorrhizos occurs along roadsides, in waste places and gardens, mostly in wet locations at low and medium altitudes.
Line Drawing / Photograph
Read More
1) Safety
References
-
Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3.
