Xanthosoma sagittifolium
Species of flowering plant / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Xanthosoma sagittifolium (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]
Xanthosoma sagittifolium | |
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Xanthosoma sagittifolium in Bukidnon, Philippines | |
Xanthosoma sagittifolium inflorescence | |
Scientific 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] | |
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Depending on the region, there are various common names for X. sagittifolium, including Tannia, Yautia, Malanga, (New) Cocoyam, the Arrowleaf Elephant's Ear, or American Taro.[5][6] Cultivars with purple stems or leaves are also variously called Blue Taro, Purplestem Taro, Purplestem Tannia, and Purple Elephant's Ear among others.[7][8]
Tannia is among the world’s most important tuber crops and feeds 400 million people worldwide.[9] There are multiple varieties,[10] the two most common being the red flesh and the white flesh variety.[11] They were artificially bred to improve pest and disease resistance,[12] to shorten the time it takes to reach maturity and to improve the cooking quality.[9]