Amorphophallus rivieri
| Amorphophallus rivieri | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Amorphophallus rivieri (common name: devil's tongue)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a pot in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe and the pot sealed in a plastic bag to retain moisture. It usually germinates in 1 - 8 months at 24°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least a couple of years. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and give them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away strongly.
Division of offsets[2]. These are rarely produced[2].
Cultivation: Requires shade and a rich soil in its native habitats, but it probably requires a position with at least moderate sun in Britain.
This species is being increasingly cultivated for its edible tubers in Japan and China[3][4] The plants are not winter hardy outdoors in Britain but are sometimes grown outdoors in this country as part of a sub-tropical bedding display[2]. It is also said to make a good house plant[2].
The tuber is harvested in the autumn after top growth has been cut back by frost and it must be kept quite dry and frost-free over winter[2][1]. It is then potted up in a warm greenhouse in spring ready to be planted out after the last expected frosts. The tubers are planted 15cm deep[2].
The plant has one enormous leaf and one spadix annually. It requires hand pollination in Britain[2][1]. When ripe for pollination, the flowers have a foetid smell to attract carrion flies and midges. This smell disappears once the flower has been pollinated[5].
Range: E. Asia - Cochin China, East Indies.
Habitat: Loose leafy detritus in moist shady habitats[6]. Forest margins and thickets at elevations of 830-1200 metres in western Yunnan[4].
Edibility: Rhizome - cooked[6]. The root must be thoroughly boiled or baked, it is acrid when raw[6]. Very large, it can be up to 30cm in iameter[4]. In Japan the large brown tubers are peeled, cooked and pounded to extract their starch, which is solidified with dissolved limestone into an edible gel called 'Konnyaku'[3]. Konnyaku is a type of flour valued for its use in many dietary products[4]. The flour is valued for its ability to clean the digestive tract without being a laxative[3]. A nutritional analysis is available[7]. This root is very high in water and low in calories, so it is being promoted as a diet food in N. America[7].
Medicinal: The root is oxytoxic and sialagogue[8]. It is used in the treatment of cancer[7].
The flowers are febrifuge[7].
Usage: The plant has insecticidal properties[7].
Pollinators: Flies
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Flower Type: Monoecious
Known Hazards: We have one report that this plant is very toxic raw, though no more details are given[8]. It belongs to a family where most of the members contain calcium oxalate crystals. This substance is toxic fresh and, if eaten, makes the mouth, tongue and throat
Also Known As: Conophallus konjak.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.