Alocasia macrorrhizos
Encyclopedia
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. Common names include Giant Taro and Elephant Ear Taro, while words for the plant in the various Polynesian languages
include Kape (Niuean
, Tongan
), Ape (Cook Islands Māori
, Tahitian
, Hawaiian
), "ta'amu" in Samoan language
, and Pulaka
(Tuvalu
). In Australia
it is known as the "cunjevoi
" (although that term also refers to a marine animal). It is edible if cooked for a long time but its sap irritates the skin due to calcium oxalate crytals, or raphides
which are needle like. 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 giant heart-shaped leaves make impromptu umbrellas in tropical downpours.
The Hawaiian saying: Ai no i ka ape he naneo no ka nuku (The eater of ape will have an itchy mouth) means "there will be consequences for partaking of something bad".
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the arum
Arum
Arum is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region....
family, Araceae
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...
, that it is native to rainforests
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
from Malaysia to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and has long been cultivated on many Pacific islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
and elsewhere in the tropics. Common names include Giant Taro and Elephant Ear Taro, while words for the plant in the various Polynesian languages
Polynesian languages
The Polynesian languages are a language family spoken in the region known as Polynesia. They are classified as part of the Austronesian family, belonging to the Oceanic branch of that family. They fall into two branches: Tongic and Nuclear Polynesian. Polynesians share many cultural traits...
include Kape (Niuean
Niuean language
The Niuean language or Niue language is a Polynesian language, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian languages. It is most closely related to Tongan and slightly more distantly to other Polynesian languages such as Māori, Sāmoan, and Hawaiian...
, Tongan
Tongan language
Tongan is an Austronesian language spoken in Tonga. It has around 200,000 speakers and is a national language of Tonga. It is a VSO language.-Related languages:...
), Ape (Cook Islands Māori
Cook Islands Maori
The Cook Islands Māori language, also called Māori Kūki 'Āirani or Rarotongan, is the official language of the Cook Islands. Most Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea, literally "the language of the Ancestral Homeland"....
, Tahitian
Tahitian language
Tahitian is an indigenous language spoken mainly in the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is an Eastern Polynesian language closely related to the other indigenous languages spoken in French Polynesia: Marquesan, Tuamotuan, Mangarevan, and Austral Islands languages...
, Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
), "ta'amu" in Samoan language
Samoan language
Samoan Samoan Samoan (Gagana Sāmoa, is the language of the Samoan Islands, comprising the independent country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language—alongside English—in both jurisdictions. Samoan, a Polynesian language, is the first language for most...
, and Pulaka
Pulaka
Pulaka , or swamp taro, is a crop grown in Oceania and an important source of carbohydrates for the area's inhabitants. It is a "swamp crop" similar to taro, but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots." Pulaka roots need to be cooked for hours to reduce toxicity in the corms, but are rich...
(Tuvalu
Tuvaluan language
Tuvaluan is a Polynesian language of or closely related to the Ellicean group spoken in Tuvalu. It is more or less distantly related to all other Polynesian languages, such as Hawaiian, Maori, Tahitian, Samoan, and Tongan, and most closely related to the languages spoken on the Polynesian Outliers...
). In 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...
it is known as the "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:...
" (although that term also refers to a marine animal). It is edible if cooked for a long time but its sap irritates the skin due to calcium oxalate crytals, or raphides
Raphides
Raphides are needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate as the monohydrate or calcium carbonate as aragonite, found in more than 200 families of plants.Both ends are needle-like, but raphides tend to be more blunt at one end and more tapering at the other....
which are needle like. Alocasia species are commonly found in marketplaces in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
and Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
and other parts of Polynesia. The varieties recognized in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
are the Ape oa, haparu, maota, and uahea. The giant heart-shaped leaves make impromptu umbrellas in tropical downpours.
The Hawaiian saying: Ai no i ka ape he naneo no ka nuku (The eater of ape will have an itchy mouth) means "there will be consequences for partaking of something bad".
External links
- MORE INFORMATION ON ALOCASIA MACRORRHIZA
- ALOCASIA MACRORRHIZA GROWING TIPS
- USDA Plant Profile
- http://www.canoeplants.com/ape.html