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
Elephant foot yam
Elephant foot yam
Elephant foot yam
Elephant foot yam
Tuber of the Elephant foot yam
Elephant foot tuber
Elephant foot tuber