Leucocasia gigantea, also called the giant elephant ear or Indian taro, is a species of flowering plant. It is a tall aroid plant with a large, fibrous corm, producing at its apex a whorl of thick, green leaves.Anton Ivancic et al. Thermogenesis and flowering biology of Colocasia gigantea, Araceae J Plant Res (2008) 121:73–82. It is the sole species in genus Leucocasia.
Cultivation Leucocasia gigantea is a "sister species" to another widely-cultivated 'taro', Colocasia esculenta, as well as to the alocasias, such as the large Alocasia macrorrhizos; it is speculated that L. gigantea was created as a result of natural hybridization between A. macrorrhizos and C. esculenta. It is called 'dọc mùng' in northern Vietnam and 'môn bạc hà' or 'bạc hà' in some provinces in southern Vietnam.Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue 'Taro diversity and use in Vietnam'. Ethnobotany and genetic diversity of Asian taro: focus on China Tri thức việt - Vietgle.Matsuda M, Nawata E; "Taro in Northern Vietnam : Its Uses, Cultivation, and Genetic Variation" Japanese Journal of Tropical Agriculture, VOL.46;NO.4;PAGE.247-258(2002)
In Japanese, it is commonly called ハス芋 (hasu-imo),Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue 'Taro diversity and use in Vietnam' Ethnobotany and genetic diversity of Asian taro: focus on China or "lotus yam". It is known as ryukyu in Kōchi Prefecture, as it is found in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Uses In addition to its value as a starchy root vegetable—known by many names, such as taro, or arbi (in Hindi)—the plant’s leaf stalk (petiole) is also used as a vegetable in some areas of Southeastern Asia and Japan. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in miso soup, chanpurū and sushi.
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