Re: Edible Alocasias

Hi Anne & Carla,
 
The only Alocasia that is (very marginally) edible is Alocasia macrorrhizos and that requiring very considerable preparation to move the formidable battery of chemical and physical properties that it has evolved to prevent herbivory.
 
The Colocasia and Xanthosoma that are widely eaten as carbohydrate and vegetable crops have been selected over a long (sometimes very long) time to reduce the harmful properties that the wild progenitors posses.
 
Peter
----- Original Message -----
From: C*@mobot.org
To: aroid-l@gizmoworks.com
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:43 AM
Subject: [Aroid-l] Edible Alocasias

Dear Aroiders,
 
I received this message from Anne in Western Australia. Please read below and see if you can help to answer her question about Alocasias.
 
Thank you, everyone!
 
Best wishes,
Carla
 

Carla V. Kostelac
Assistant to Tom Croat &
Research Specialist, Araceae
Missouri Botanical Garden
Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63116
(314) 577-5163
carla.kostelac@mobot.org
Please send images to our FTP Server.
ftp://garfile:garden2003@cissus.mobot.org/incoming/croat
ftp://garfile:garden2003@cissus.mobot.org/outgoing/croat



Hi Carla,

How are you? I am from Western Australia and I have recently found some Alocasia plants being sold in a nursery. I would like to know whether all Alocasia species are edible. In my home country, Mauritius, we eat Colocasia esculenta and taro.

How can I know whether the species in the store is edible?

Thank you very much for any reply. I tried to email Rod, but I could not send emails to him.

--
Anne

 
 
 



 

 

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