Cyrtosperma merkusii
Cyrtosperma merkusii
Safety & Hazards
The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten, but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water[1].
Cultivation Details
A plant of tropical lowlands. Areas of high rainfall and humidity are required for the best yields[2]. Requires a moist, shady position sheltered from the wind, succeeding in a wide range of soils[2, 3]. Ideal growing conditions are natural swamp land rich in humus, covered with 20 - 70cm of slow running (or irrigation) water[3]. The plant is often grown in coastal swamps just inland of mangrove swamps[3]. Tolerates brackish conditions[2]. Yields of 10 tonnes per hectare have been recorded[2]. It is generally considered that the plant requires 2 - 3 years in order to produce a reasonably-sized tuber[3]. Younger than this, the tubers of some cultivars are reported to have an unpleasant taste, although on the Pingelap Attoll, Caroline Islands, some early-maturing types are harvested after about one year[3]. Some authorities, however, consider that for optimum results as regards flavour and yield, the crop should be harvested when the plants are 5 - 6 years old[3]. There are some named varieties[2].
Propagation
Seed - Division of suckers. Cormels, which send up leaves and develop into suckers, are produced as side shoots on the parent corm after about three years[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cyrtosperma+merkusii>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. — Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. · Wolfe · 1984 · ISBN 0723408394 ↩︎Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
- [2]Vegetables in the Tropics — Tindall. H. D. · MacMillan, Oxford. · 1983 · ISBN 0-333-24268-8 ↩︎An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
- [3]Root Crops — Kay. D.E. Revised by Gooding. E.G.B. · Tropical Development and Crop Research: London. · 1987 ↩︎Detailed information on about 40 species of tropical root crops.
- [4]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
- [5]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.