Edible Landscaping -- Xanthosoma Sagittifolium and its Cousins

I love this plant. It makes a statement in the garden, and , it is so . . . well . . . tropical. It is easy to propagate, easy to grow, is native to the American tropics, and has both decorative and nutritive qualities. Wow! What more could one ask for?

Xanthosoma Sagittifolium

In Costa Rica it is called tiquisque. In many other countries it is called malanga. Its close cousin Colocasia esculenta, originally from Asia, is called ñampí in Costa Rica, yautia in some other countries, and taro in hawaii. To make things interesting, in some countries the names are reversed.

Colocasia Esculenta

 Xanthosoma, Colocasia, and related plants are in the araceae family, sometimes referred to as the arum family, or singularly as an aroid. Almost by definition, they are tropical. Only a few species are native to temperate North America. They tend to grow in either shady or swampy locales. These include Jack-in-the pulpit and eastern and western skunk cabbage. At our old home in Clemson, South Carolina, in addition to Jack-in-the-pulpits, we grew some tropical araceae. We had to mulch them heavily in the winter. These included both Xanthosoma undipes (elephant ear) and Colocasia esculenta (sometimes called "black magic"). We have seen both of these in Costa Rica (we have some black magic near our front door). There is also a larger form of elephant ear from Malaysia (Alocasia macrorrhizos).

Black magic

 Characteristic of the genera Xanthosoma and Colocasia are large, more or less arrow-shaped leaves and thick, succulent stems. The flowers feature a pale yellowish-white spathe enclosing a spadix. They typically grow about four feet tall, but can get taller. Xanthosoma can be distinguished from Colocasia by the way the leaf is attached to the leaf stem. In the Xanthosoma the stem is attached at the edge of the leaf, on the backside of the arrow shape. In the Colocasia the leaf stem is attached within the area of the leaf blade (peltate).

Xanthosoma spathe and spadix

 These are all light-loving plants, but they will take a little shade. They need rich, moist soil. You can frequently see them growing wild on the sides of streams. They can be grown from sea level to over 5,000 feet elevation. To propagate them , break off offshoots of the corms, or pieces of corms with shoots, and plant them a couple of inches deep in the soil. They multiply rapidly and should be divided at least once a year.

Tiquisque tubers

 The starchy tubers of both Xanthosoma sagittifolium (tiquisque) and Colocasia esculenta (ñampí) can be found in any market or vegetable stand in Costa Rica. They are eaten in soup and sometimes served slice and fried. They are purported to be good sources of vitamin A. Do not attempt to eat the tubers raw because they contain calcium oxalate crystals and other toxins, which irritate the mouth and throat.

Happy Gardening!