Cyrtosperma merkusii (Pulaka)

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.