Elephant foot yam

Elephant foot yam probably originates from India or Sri Lanka. It is grown for the corms which are eaten as a vegetable.

Names

Scientific
   Amorphophallus paeoniifolius
Synonym
   Amorphophallus campanulatus
English
   Elephant bread
   Elephant foot
   Elephant foot aroid
   Elephant foot yam
   Elephant yam
   Stink lily
   Suran
   Sweet yam
   Whitespot giant arum
Dutch
   Olifantenyam
Other
   Olkachu

Taxonomy

Genus
   Amorphophallus
Family
   Araceae
Order
   Alismatales

Basic information and facts

Origin:

Elephant yam probably originates from India or Sri Lanka.

Distribution:

Elephant yam is grown in Bangladesh, India, South-East Asia and in Africa.

Annual, biennial, or perennial:

Elephant foot is a perennial herb. It usually takes 3 to 4 years before the corms are harvested.

Plant:

Elephant foot yam is a tropical tuber crop, grown for its round corm. The stems can be 1 to 2 meters tall.

Leaves:

Leaves (usually one or two on a stem) are about 50 cm long and consist of several oval leaflets.

Tubers:

Round corms are usually 3 to 9 kilo, depending on the number of seasons that the crop was grown before harvest. They can even reach 25 kg.

Climate and weather:

Elephant yam grows in the tropics and needs a high temperature and high humidity.

Height:

1 to 2 meters.

Propagation:

For the propagation of elephant foot yam, small corms (cormels) or buds are used. These are produced below ground level at the base of the stem.

Insect pests:

?

Diseases:

A common disease is foot rot (Rhizoctonia solani)

Harvesting:

When the leaves begin to wither and die the corms can be dug up by hand.

Uses:

The corm of Elephant foot is eaten as a vegetable, usually boiled or baked.
Elephant yam is also sometimes grown for its medicinal properties.

Crop categories

Vegetables
Tuber vegetables
Corm vegetables
Food crops

Pictures