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Taro (from Tahitian or other Polynesian languages), more rarely kalo (from Hawaiian), is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants.[1] Taro is closely related to Xanthosoma and Caladium, plants commonly grown as ornamentals, and like them it is sometimes loosely called elephant ear. In its raw form the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate,[2][3] although the toxin is destroyed by cooking.[citation needed] Taro can refer to: Taro, a tropical plant known as a root vegetable. ...
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ...
Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ...
Liliopsida is the botanical name for a class. ...
Families Alismataceae Aponogetonaceae Araceae Butomaceae Cymodoceaceae Hydrocharitaceae Juncaginaceae Limnocharitaceae Posidoniaceae Potamogetonaceae Ruppiaceae Scheuchzeriaceae Tofieldiaceae Zosteraceae The order Alismatales contains the alismatids, a group of monocotyledons (class Liliopsida). ...
Genera See text. ...
Species See text Colocasia is a flowering plant genus with one cotyledon found in tropical Asia. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ...
Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (January 7, 1794 - March 5, 1865) was a botanist well-known for his extensive work on the aroids (Family Araceae). ...
Tahitian, a Tahitic language, is one of the two official languages of French Polynesia (along with French). ...
The Polynesian languages are a group of related languages spoken in the region known as Polynesia. ...
The Hawaiian language is an Austronesian language that takes its name from that of the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. ...
Root vegetables are underground plant parts used as vegetables. ...
Taro corms for sale in a Réunion market A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (estivation). ...
Fresh Swiss chard Fresh water spinach Creamed spinach Steamed kale Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. ...
Species About 50; see text Xanthosoma is a genus of about 50 species of tropical and sub-tropical arums in the flowering plant family, Araceae, native to tropical America. ...
Species See text. ...
Petunia This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Calcium oxalate is a chemical compound that forms needle-shaped crystals. ...
Names
Taro and domesticated Xanthosoma species share substantially the same uses, and several names, including callaloo and coco or cocoyam. Taro may be distinguished as "taro cocoyam" or "old cocoyam". Its scientific name is Colocasia esculenta (synonym C. antiquorum). Esculent is an English word taken directly from Latin and means edible. In Kenya, taro root is referred to as "arrow root". Also known as ndŭma in Kikuyu. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
Uses The small round variety is peeled and boiled, sold either frozen, bagged in its own liquids, or canned. The plant is actually inedible when raw because of needle-shaped raphides in the plant cells. Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food for consumption by humans or animals. ...
Frozen food is food preserved by the process of freezing. ...
For other uses, see Canning (disambiguation). ...
Ergastic substances are non-protoplasm materials found in cells. ...
Typical of leaf vegetables, taro leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and zinc, and a very good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, copper, and manganese. Taro corms are very high in starch, and are a good source of dietary fiber. Oxalic acid may be present in the corm and especially in the leaf, and these foods should be eaten with milk or other foods rich in calcium so as to remove the risks posed by ingesting the free oxalic radical especially for people with kidney disorders, gout, or rheumatoid arthritis. Calcium reacts with the oxalate to form calcium oxalate which is very insoluble. Retinol (Vitamin A) For the record label, see Vitamin Records A vitamin is an organic compound required in tiny amounts for essential metabolic reactions in a living organism. ...
Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen which are present in common organic molecules. ...
Thiamine mononitrate Thiamine or thiamin, also known as vitamin B1, is a colorless compound with chemical formula C12H17ClN4OS. It is soluble in water and insoluble in alcohol. ...
Riboflavin (E101), also known as vitamin B2, is an easily absorbed micronutrient with a key role in maintaining health in animals. ...
For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ...
General Name, Symbol, Number phosphorus, P, 15 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 3, p Appearance waxy white/ red/ black/ colorless Standard atomic weight 30. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ...
Pyridoxine Pyridoxal phosphate Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin. ...
This article is about the nutrient. ...
Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B3, is a water-soluble vitamin whose derivatives such as NADH, NAD, NAD+, and NADP play essential roles in energy metabolism in the living cell and DNA repair. ...
General Name, symbol, number potassium, K, 19 Chemical series alkali metals Group, period, block 1, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 39. ...
For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ...
General Name, symbol, number manganese, Mn, 25 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 7, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 54. ...
Starch (CAS# 9005-25-8) is a complex carbohydrate which is insoluble in water; it is used by plants as a way to store excess glucose. ...
Dietary fibers are the indigestible portion of plant foods that move food through the digestive system, absorbing water and making defecation easier. ...
Oxalic acid (IUPAC name: ethanedioic acid, formula C2H2O4) is a dicarboxylic acid with structure (HOOC)-(COOH). ...
The kidneys are organs that filter wastes (such as urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. ...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is traditionally considered a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. ...
South Asia Taro is extensively used in South Asia. In South India's Kerala state, it is used as a staple food, as a side dish, or as a component in various side dishes. As a staple food it is steamed, and eaten with a chutney of green pepper and shallot onions. The leaves and stems of certain varieties of taro are used as a vegetable in Kerala. A tree-growing variety of taro is extensively used in the western coast of India to make "patrade" or "patrada", literally "leaf-pancake". These are either made like fritters, or are steamed and eaten. In Nepal, it is considered a health food with variety of cooking styles. Most common style is boiling it in salty water in iron cooking pots till it becomes like porridge. Another style is to steam the young leaves called 'gava', sun-dry and then store it for later use. For another variety of the taro leaves and stems are used raw as an ingredient for pickle. The leaves and stems are mixed with black lentil and then dried as small balls and used later on. The stems are also sun-dried and stored for later use. On One special day, women worship 'saptarshi- seven sages' and have rice with taro leaf vegetable only. In Indian state of Gujarat it is used to make 'patra' a dish with the leaves of the plant along with tamarind and other spices. Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ...
South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ...
, Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ...
China and Hong Kong Taro is commonly used within Chinese cuisine in a variety of styles, mainly as an ingredient. It is used in the dim sum cuisine of southern China to make a small plated dish called taro dumpling, as well as a pan-fried dish called taro cake. It is also woven to form a seafood birdsnest. The taro cake is also a delicacy traditionally eaten during the Chinese New Year. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Dim sum (Chinese: 點心; Cantonese IPA: dɪm2sɐm1; Pinyin: diǎnxīn; Wade-Giles: tien-hsin; literally dot heart or order heart, meaning order to ones hearts content; also commonly translated as touch the heart, dotted heart, or snack), a Cantonese term...
Taro dumpling is a variety of dim sum served within Chinese cuisine. ...
Taro cake is a Chinese dish made from the vegetable taro. ...
Seafood birdsnest is a common Chinese cuisine dish found in Hong Kong, China and most overseas Chinatown restaurants. ...
Chinese New Year (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), or Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. ...
Japan In Japan, supermarket varieties range from about the size and shape of a brussels sprout to longer, larger varieties the size of an adult male's fist. Taro chips are often used as a potato chip-like snack. Compared to potato chips, taro chips are harder and have a more assertive nutty flavor. They are generally made from upland taro because of their lower moisture content. Exterior of a typical British supermarket (a Tesco Extra) Exterior of typical North American supermarket (a Safeway) This Flagship Randalls store in Houston, Texas is an example of an upscale supermarket. ...
The Brussels sprout (Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group) is a cultivar group of Wild Cabbage cultivated for its small (typically 2. ...
Vietnam In Vietnam, where taro is called khoai môn or khoai sọ, it is used as a filling in spring rolls, cakes, puddings, and other desserts. A partitioned Taiwanese spring roll (潤餅) whose wheat-based wrapper is unfried. ...
United States In Hawaii, taro is a traditional staple, as in many tropical areas of the world, and is the base for making poi. In Chinatowns, people often use taro in Chinese cuisine, though it is not consumed or popularized nearly as much as in Asian and Pacific nations. Since the late 20th century, taro chips have been available in many supermarkets and natural food stores. In the 1920's, dasheen, as it was known, was highly touted by the Secretary of the Florida Department of Agriculture as a valuable crop for growth in muck fields. Fellsmere Florida, near the east coast, was a farming area deemed perfect for growing dasheen. It was used in place of potatoes and dried to make flour. Dasheen flour was said to make excellent pancakes when mixed with wheat flour. Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area Ranked 43rd - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²) - Width n/a miles (n/a km) - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km) - % water 41. ...
Poi is a Hawaiian word for the primary Polynesian food staple made from the corm of the kalo plant (known widely as taro). ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Cultivation Taro can be grown in paddy fields or in upland situations where watering is supplied by rainfall or by supplemental irrigation. Some varieties of taro can also be grown away from the tropics. Terrace of paddy fields in Yunnan Province, southern China. ...
Hawaii Taro is usually grown in pondfields called loʻi in Hawaiian. The picture below shows several small loʻi in Maunawili Valley on Oahu. The ditch on the left in the picture is called an ʻauwai and supplies diverted stream water to the loʻi. Cool, flowing water yields the best crop. Some of the taro plants in the foreground have been harvested and the caretakers are preparing to replant the huli stacked at their feet. These are the top portion of the corm with a short piece of bladeless leafstem. Image File history File links Flag_of_Nigeria. ...
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FAO emblem With its headquarters in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that works to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living; to improve the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of food and agricultural products; to promote rural development; and...
View mauka from the Maunawili Demonstration Trail Maunawili is a census-designated place and residential area located in the City & County of Honolulu, Koolaupoko District, Island of Oahu. ...
Oʻahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the Gathering Place, is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of Hawaiʻi. ...
Typical dryland or upland varieties (varieties grown in watered but not flooded fields) in Hawaii are lehua maoli and bun long, the latter widely known as Chinese taro. Bun long is used for making taro chips. Dasheen (also called "eddo") is another "dryland" variety of C. esculenta grown for its edible corms or sometimes just as an ornamental plant.
The Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service puts the 10-year median production of taro in the Hawaiian Islands at about 6.1 million pounds (2,800 t; Viotti, 2004). However, 2003 taro production in Hawaii was only 5 million pounds (2,300 t), an all-time low (record keeping started in 1946). The previous low, reached in 1997, was 5.5 million pounds (2,500 t). Yet, despite generally growing demand, production was even lower in 2005: only 4 million pounds, with kalo for processing into poi accounting for 97.5% (Hao, 2006). Urbanization has driven down harvests from a high of 14.1 million pounds (6,400 t) in 1948. But more recently the decline has resulted from pests and diseases. A non-native apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) is a major culprit in the current crop declines. Also, a plant rot disease, traced to a newly identified species of the fungal genus, Phytophthora, now plagues crops throughout the state. Although pesticides could control both pests to some extent, pesticide use in the pondfields is barred because of the clear opportunity for chemicals to quickly migrate into streams and then into the ocean (Viotti, 2004; Hao, 2006). The Family Ampullariidae (Pilidae)—commonly referred to as apple snails—are tropical and subtropical freshwater mollusks. ...
Subkingdom/Phyla Chytridiomycota Blastocladiomycota Neocallimastigomycota Glomeromycota Zygomycota Dikarya (inc. ...
Species Phytophthora arecae Phytophthora botryosa Phytoohthora cactorum Phytophthora cajani Phytophthora cambivora Phytophthora capsici Phytophthora cinnamomi Phytophthora citricola Phytophthora citrophthora Phytophthora clandestina Phytophthora colocasiae Phytophthora cryptogea Phytophthora drechslera Phytophthora erythroseptica Phytophthora fragariae Phytophthora gonapodyides Phytophthora heveae Phytophthora humicola Phytophthora idaei Phytophthora ilicis Phytophthora infestans Phytophthora inflata Phytophthora iranica Phytophthora katsurae Phytophthora...
Fiji Although taro has been a staple of the indigenous Fijian diet for centuries, its growth as a commercial crop can be said to have begun in 1993 when the taro leaf blight decimated the taro industry in neighboring Samoa. Fiji filled the void and was soon supplying taro to the large Polynesian populations of New Zealand, Australia, and Los Angeles in the United States.
Almost 80% of Fiji's exported taro comes from the Island of Taveuni. Taveuni is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, and has a population of around 12,000. ...
Currently, the Fijian taro industry is under threat from the taro beetle, with the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) conducting research into how best to control this pest.
See also Aquatic plants, also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes. ...
Limahuli Garden and Preserve. ...
Images One of the largest taro growing areas in the Hawaiian Islands is the Lower Hanalei Valley Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Map of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of islands that stretches 2,400 km in a northwesterly direction from the southern tip of the Island of Hawai‘i. ...
Hanalei Town with a view of Mt. ...
| Several small loʻi or pondfields in which taro (or kalo) is being grown in Hawaii Download high resolution version (1400x948, 459 KB)Kalo (taro) loi in Maunawili Valley, windward Oahu. ...
| Taro corms Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 3. ...
| Taro corms for sale ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 2303 KB) Colocasia esculenta sold on a market in Réunion Copyright © 2005 David Monniaux File links The following pages link to this file: Taro Root vegetable Corm ...
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References Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Colocasia esculenta - Hao, Sean. 2006. "Rain, pests and disease shrink taro production to record low". Honolulu Advertiser, February 2, 2006, p. C1.
- Stephens, James M. 1994. Dasheen –– Colocasia exculenta (L.) Schott. Fact Sheet HS-592 from a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. May 1994. edis
- Taro climate at Green-Seeds.com (taro growing methods)
- Taveuni Taro at fijitaro.com (Fiji taro industry history)
- Viotti, V. 2004. Honolulu Advertiser, March 16, 2004.
- Wagner, W. L., D. R. Herbst, and S. H. Sohmer. 1999. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i. Revised edition. Vol. 2. Univ. of Hawei‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press. p. 1357.
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