Alocasia brisbanensis
Encyclopedia
Alocasia brisbanensis is a species of plant in the family Araceae
. Its common name is native lily or cunjevoi
(the latter term also refers to a marine animal
). It is native to rainforests of Eastern Australia
. This plant has very large, spade shaped leaves on long, fleshy petioles. Alocasia may grow to a height of 1.5 metres. The summer flowers are a perfumed, greenish-cream colour that is similar to an arum lily. Red fruits follow the flowering.
The plant is poisonous. Skin contact can lead to skin and eye irritation. Eating it causes immediate pain, burning sensation and swelling of the lips, tongue and mouth. Deaths have been reported. The poisonous agent is insoluble oxalate
. As first aid rinse lengthily, administer small amount of milk, do not induce vomiting.
The plant, related to Taro
is edible when well cooked. The closely related and almost indistinguishable Alocasia macrorrhizos
is cultivated as a food plant in some parts of Oceania
.
Araceae
Araceae are 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 bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...
. Its common name is native lily or cunjevoi
Cunjevoi
Cunjevoi 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:...
(the latter term also refers to a marine animal
Pyura stolonifera
Pyura stolonifera, commonly known in South Africa as red bait or rooi aas and in Australia as cunjevoi, is a sessile ascidian, or sea squirt, that lives in coastal waters.-Distribution:...
). It is native to rainforests of Eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This plant has very large, spade shaped leaves on long, fleshy petioles. Alocasia may grow to a height of 1.5 metres. The summer flowers are a perfumed, greenish-cream colour that is similar to an arum lily. Red fruits follow the flowering.
The plant is poisonous. Skin contact can lead to skin and eye irritation. Eating it causes immediate pain, burning sensation and swelling of the lips, tongue and mouth. Deaths have been reported. The poisonous agent is insoluble oxalate
Oxalate
Oxalate , is the dianion with formula C2O42− also written 22−. Either name is often used for derivatives, such as disodium oxalate, 2C2O42−, or an ester of oxalic acid Oxalate (IUPAC: ethanedioate), is the dianion with formula C2O42− also written (COO)22−. Either...
. As first aid rinse lengthily, administer small amount of milk, do not induce vomiting.
The plant, related to Taro
Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms, the root vegetables whose many names include Taro and Eddoe. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants.-Description:Rhizomes of different shapes and sizes...
is edible when well cooked. The closely related and almost indistinguishable Alocasia macrorrhizos
Alocasia macrorrhizos
Alocasia macrorrhizos is a species of flowering plant in the arum family, Araceae, that it is native to rainforests from Malaysia to Queensland and has long been cultivated on many Pacific islands and elsewhere in the tropics...
is cultivated as a food plant in some parts of Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
.