Tacca leontopetaloides
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| Polynesian Arrowroot | ||||||||||||||
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| Tacca leontopetaloides L. |
Tacca leontopetaloides is a species of Tacca.
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[edit] Distribution
Tacca leontopetaloides or Polynesian arrowroot is naturally distributed from western Africa through southeast Asia to northern Australia. It was intentionally brought to tropical Pacific Islands with early human migrations.
[edit] Description
The leaf's upper surface has depressed veins, and the under surface is shiny with bold yellow veins. Flowers are borne on tall stalks in greenish-purple clusters, with long trailing bracts. The plant is usually dormant for part of the year and dies down to the ground. Later, new leaves will arise from the round underground tuber. The tubers are hard and potato-like, with a brown skin and white interior.
[edit] Uses
The tubers of Polynesian arrowroot contain starch that was an important food source for many Pacific Island cultures, primarily for the inhabitants of low islands and atolls. Polynesian arrowroot was prepared into a flour to make a variety of puddings. The tubers were first grated and then allowed to soak in fresh water. The settled starch was rinsed repeatedly to remove the bitterness and then dried. The flour was mixed with mashed taro, breadfruit or Pandanus fruit extract and mixed with coconut cream to prepare puddings. In Hawaii, a local favorite is haupia, which was originally made with pia flour, coconut cream and sugar (Ko).[1] Today, Polynesian arrowroot has been largely replaced by corn starch.
The starch was additionally used to stiffen fabrics, and on some islands, the stem's fibers were woven into mats.
In traditional Hawaiian medicine the raw tubers were eaten to treat stomach ailments. Mixed with water and red clay, the plant was consumed to treat diarrhea and dysentery. This combination was also used to stop internal hemorrhaging in the stomach and colon and applied to wounds to stop bleeding.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Brennan 2000, pp. 252–267
[edit] References
- Brennan, Jennifer (2000), Tradewinds & Coconuts: A Reminiscence & Recipes from the Pacific Islands, Periplus, ISBN 9625938192.
- National Tropical Botanical Garden, 2007, <http://www.ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php>. Retrieved on 5 December 2007.
