Elephant foot yam

Where does Elephant foot yam grow?

Found in: American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji, French Polynesia, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marquesas, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Polynesia, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Timor

Notes: There are about 170-200 Amorphophallus species. It has benefits against colon cancer.

Status: It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. In Papua New Guinea this plant is only grown and used by people in a few locations. It is more important in some other countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and India. It is sold in local markets.

Growing Elephant foot yam

Cultivation: The cormels are planted. Seeds will grow but flowers need hand pollination. Small corms from around the side are the normal part planted. If a very small corm is planted, the plant may need to grow for several seasons to produce a large yield. Setts or small cormels of 200 g are suitable for use planted at 30 cm x 30 cm spacing and produce seed corms of about 500 g. Larger corms take 3-4 years to produce. This is achieved by digging up corms and replanting next season. Each crop takes about 8 months to mature. Corms are planted 15 cm deep. Spacing is increased between plants in successive years of growth. After harvest, the corm needs to be kept for a few months before it is ready to produce a new shoot and re-grow.

Edible Uses: The corm is cooked and eaten. In some kinds it is burned and smashed with salt and eaten with rice. The young unopened leaves are edible cooked. The young petioles or leaf stalks are eaten cooked. They are often eaten with fish. They are also used in soup. The harvested stalks can only be stored for about one week.

Production: The stalk dies back when the plant is mature. The corm will keep for several months. An individual corm can finally weigh 8 kg. When it is planted a single leaf stalk is produced and the irregular shaped leaf is produced at the top of the stalk. Eventually the corm under the ground increases in size then the leaf dies back. The corm could be harvested and stored, or eaten at this stage. If it is just left, a very large flower is produced. This type of growth pattern where vegetative growth is followed by a storage organ with dormancy, is the type of growth that suits areas with a distinct wet and dry season. It has the advantage that the corm will store well after harvest and can be eaten in the dry season when food is short.

Nutrition Info

Elephant foot yam Photos

References

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