Xanthosoma sagittifolium

Xanthosoma sagittifolium
In Bukidnon, Philippines
Inflorescence
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Xanthosoma
Species:
X. sagittifolium
Binomial name
Xanthosoma sagittifolium
(L.) Schott
Synonyms[1][2][3]
  • Alocasia talihan Elmer ex Merr.
  • Arum sagittifolium L.
  • Arum xanthorrhizon Jacq.
  • Caladium edule G.Mey.
  • Caladium mafaffa Engl.
  • Caladium sagittifolium (L.) Vent.
  • Caladium utile Engl.
  • Caladium xanthorrhizon (Jacq.)
  • Xanthosoma appendiculatum Schott
  • Xanthosoma atrovirens K.Koch & C.D.Bouché
  • Xanthosoma blandum Schott
  • Xanthosoma edule (G.Mey.) Schott
  • Xanthosoma ianthinum K.Koch & C.D.Bouché
  • Xanthosoma jacquinii Schott
  • Xanthosoma mafaffa Schott
  • Xanthosoma nigrum Stellfeld
  • Xanthosoma peregrinum Griseb.
  • Xanthosoma poeppigii var. mafaffa (Schott) J.F.Macbr.
  • Xanthosoma roseum Schott
  • Xanthosoma utile K.Koch & C.D.Bouché
  • Xanthosoma violaceum Schott
  • Xanthosoma xantharrhizon (Jacq.) K.Koch

Xanthosoma sagittifolium, or tannia, is a tropical flowering plant from the family Araceae. It produces an edible, starchy corm. X. sagittifolium is native to tropical America where it has been first cultivated. Around the 19th century, the plant spread to Southeast Asia and Africa and has been cultivated there ever since. X. sagittifolium is often confused with the related plant Colocasia esculenta (Taro), which looks very similar and is also used in a similar way. Both plants are often collectively named Cocoyam.[4]

Common names for X. sagittifolium include tannia, new cocoyam, arrowleaf elephant's ear, American taro, yautía, malanga,[5][6] and uncucha.[7] Cultivars with purple stems or leaves are also variously called blue taro, purplestem taro, purplestem tannia, and purple elephant's ear.[8][9]

Tannia is among the world’s most important tuber crops and feeds 400 million people worldwide.[10] There are multiple varieties,[11] the two most common being the red flesh and the white flesh variety.[12] They were artificially bred to improve pest and disease resistance,[13] to shorten the time it takes to reach maturity and to improve the cooking quality.[10]

  1. ^ "Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott". The Plant List. 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott". World Flora Online. 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott". Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  4. ^ Onwueme, I. C.; Charles, W. B. (1994). Tropical root and tuber crops: production, perspectives and future prospects. FAO plant production and protection paper. FAO. Rome: FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-103461-3.
  5. ^ Lim, T. K. (2015). "Xanthosoma sagittifolium". Edible Medicinal and non Medicinal Plants. pp. 498–509. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9511-1_15. ISBN 978-94-017-9510-4.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Nigel Maxted; B.V. Ford-Lloyd; J.G. Hawkes (2013). Plant Genetic Conservation: The in situ approach. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 309. ISBN 9789400914377. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Xanthosoma violaceum". Tropical Britain. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Xanthosoma violaceum from Tropical Britain - Purple Elephant's Ears". Tropical Britain. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b Boakye, Abena A.; Wireko-Manu, Faustina Dufie; Oduro, Ibok; Ellis, William O.; Gudjónsdóttir, María; Chronakis, Ioannis S. (June 2018). "Utilizing cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) for food and nutrition security: A review". Food Science & Nutrition. 6 (4): 703–713. doi:10.1002/fsn3.602. ISSN 2048-7177. PMC 6021709. PMID 29983932.
  11. ^ Siqueira, Marcos Vinicius Bohrer Monteiro; do Nascimento, Wellington Ferreira; Pedrosa, Marinalva Woods; Veasey, Elizabeth Ann (2023-01-01), Pascoli Cereda, Marney; François Vilpoux, Olivier (eds.), "Chapter 13 - Agronomic characteristics (varieties or landraces) and potential of Xanthosoma sagittifolium as food and starch source", Varieties and Landraces: Cultural Practices and Traditional Uses, vol. 2, Academic Press, pp. 261–272, ISBN 978-0-323-90057-7, retrieved 2023-11-29
  12. ^ Sefa-Dedeh, Samuel; Kofi-Agyir Sackey, Emmanuel (2002-12-01). "Starch structure and some properties of cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium and Colocasia esculenta) starch and raphides". Food Chemistry. 79 (4): 435–444. doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(02)00194-2. ISSN 0308-8146.
  13. ^ O'Hair, S. K.; Maynard, D. N. (2003-01-01), "VEGETABLES OF TROPICAL CLIMATES | Edible Aroids", in Caballero, Benjamin (ed.), Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), Oxford: Academic Press, pp. 5970–5973, ISBN 978-0-12-227055-0, retrieved 2023-12-01