TROPICAL PLANT ENCYCLOPEDIA


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Cyrtosperma merkusii, Pulaka, Swamp Taro, Giant Swamp Taro

Cyrtosperma merkusii

Pulaka, Swamp Taro, Giant Swamp Taro
Family: Araceae
Origin: Southeast Asia
Large shrub 5-10 ft tallSemi-shadeFull sunKeep soil moistBog or aquatic plantThorny or spinyPoisonous or toxicEdible plant

Robust to gigantic herb, up to 4 m tall, growing solitarily or in clumps. Rhizome short and slender to tuberous and very large, cylindrical, up to 2 m long and 0.6 m in diameter, sometimes globose, weighing up to 70 kg or even more, producing few to many suckers. Cyrtosperma merkusii used to be cultivated as a food crop in a manner similar to Taro (Colocasia). Since the unprocessed corms are toxic, they must always be cooked, usually in an earth oven.


Similar plants:


Cyrtosperma merkusii, Pulaka, Swamp Taro, Giant Swamp Taro
Cyrtosperma merkusii, Pulaka, Swamp Taro, Giant Swamp Taro
Cyrtosperma merkusii, Pulaka, Swamp Taro, Giant Swamp Taro
Cyrtosperma merkusii, Pulaka, Swamp Taro, Giant Swamp Taro


Link to this plant:
https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/cyrtosperma_merkusii.htm