Xanthosoma

"'ape" redirects here. For other uses, see ape (disambiguation).

Xanthosoma
Xanthosoma roseum 'Elephant ear'
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Alismatales
Family:	Araceae
Subfamily:	Aroideae
Tribe:	Caladieae
Genus:	Xanthosoma Schott[1]
Range of the genus Xanthosoma
Synonyms[2]
Acontias Schott Cyrtospadix K.Koch

Xanthosoma is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions.^[2] Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food staple of tropical regions, known variously as malanga, otoy, otoe, cocoyam (or new cocoyam), tannia, tannier, yautía, macabo, ocumo, macal, taioba, dasheen, quequisque, ʻape and (in Papua New Guinea) as Singapore taro (taro kongkong). Many other species, including especially Xanthosoma roseum, are used as ornamental plants; in popular horticultural literature these species may be known as ‘ape due to resemblance to the true Polynesian ʻape, Alocasia macrorrhizos, or as elephant ear from visual resemblance of the leaf to an elephant's ear. Sometimes the latter name is also applied to members in the closely related genera Caladium, Colocasia (taro), and Alocasia.

The leaves of most Xanthosoma species are 40–200 centimetres (16–79 inches) long, sagittate (arrowhead-shaped) or subdivided into three or as many as 18 segments. Unlike the leaves of Colocasia, those of Xanthosoma are usually not peltate- the upper v-notch extends into the point of attachment of the leaf petiole to the blade.

Reproduction

The inflorescence in Xanthosoma is composed of a spadix with pistillate flowers at the base, a belt of sterile flowers offered as a reward for pollinators in the middle and staminate flowers on the upper part. Prior to opening, the inflorescence is enclosed within a leaf-like spathe. When the inflorescence is ready to open, the upper part of the spathe opens and exposes the staminate area of the spadix; the basal area of the spathe remains closed, forming a spacious chamber (i.e., the spathe tube) that encloses the pistillate and sterile flowers (Garcia-Robledo et al. (2004, 2005a, 2005b)).

The inflorescences last for two nights and are protogynous in some, but not all species.^[3] They change from the pistillate phase that attracts pollinators on the night it opens, to a staminate phase on the second night, when pollen is shed. When the inflorescence opens, it produces heat and releases a sweet scent attracting its pollinators, dynastine beetles (Cyclocephala spp.). Dynastines arrive covered with pollen from another inflorescence and remain in the spathe tube for 24 hours, pollinating the pistillate flowers as they feed on the sterile area of the spadix. On the second night, they come out of the tube and walk over the staminate flowers, getting covered with pollen, and then flying to a recently opened inflorescence nearby. (Garcia-Robledo et al. (2004, 2005a, 2005b)). Fruit maturation takes several months. Fruits start to develop within the shelter of the spathe tube. When the infructescence is mature, in some species, it arches back and downwards. In other species, it stays erect. Then, the tissue of the spathe tube rolls outwards, exhibiting the bright orange fruits and the velvety pink inner spathe surface.^[4][5][6][3]

Taxonomy

Species

The following species are accepted:^[2]

1. Xanthosoma acutum E.G.Gonç. - French Guiana, Amapá State of Brazil
2. Xanthosoma akkermansii (G.S.Bunting) Croat - Amazonas + Barinas States of Venezuela
3. Xanthosoma aristeguietae (G.S.Bunting) Madison - Venezuela, northwestern Brazil
4. Xanthosoma auriculatum Regel - northwestern Brazil
5. Xanthosoma baguense Croat - northern Peru
6. Xanthosoma bayo G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
7. Xanthosoma belophyllum (Willd.) Kunth - Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas; naturalized in Dominican Republic
8. Xanthosoma bilineatum Rusby - Colombia
9. Xanthosoma bolivaranum G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
10. Xanthosoma brasiliense (Desf.) Engl. – Tahitian spinach - Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Trinidad & Tobago; naturalized in southern Brazil
11. Xanthosoma brevispathaceum Engl. - Peru
12. Xanthosoma caladioides Grayum - Panama
13. Xanthosoma caracu K.Koch & C.D.Bouché – yautia horqueta - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic
14. Xanthosoma caulotuberculatum G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
15. Xanthosoma conspurcatum Schott - Venezuela, Suriname, French Guiana
16. Xanthosoma contractum G.S.Bunting - Bolívar State of Venezuela
17. Xanthosoma cordatum N.E.Br. - Guyana, French Guiana
18. Xanthosoma cordifolium N.E.Br. - Guyana
19. Xanthosoma cubense (Schott) Schott - Cuba
20. Xanthosoma daguense Engl. - Colombia, Ecuador
21. Xanthosoma dealbatum Grayum - Costa Rica
22. Xanthosoma eggersii Engl. - Ecuador
23. Xanthosoma exiguum G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
24. Xanthosoma flavomaculatum Engl. - Colombia
25. Xanthosoma fractum Madison - Peru
26. Xanthosoma granvillei Croat & Thomps. - French Guiana
27. Xanthosoma guttatum Croat & D.C.Bay - Valle del Cauca in Colombia
28. Xanthosoma hebetatum Croat & D.C.Bay - Valle del Cauca in Colombia
29. Xanthosoma helleborifolium (Jacq.) Schott – belembe silvestre - from Costa Rica south to central Brazil; naturalized in West Indies
30. Xanthosoma herrerae Croat & P.Huang - Colombia
31. Xanthosoma hylaeae Engl. & K.Krause - Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Brazil
32. Xanthosoma latestigmatum Bogner & E.G.Gonç. - Venezuela
33. Xanthosoma longilobum G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
34. Xanthosoma lucens E.G.Gonç - Rondônia
35. Xanthosoma mafaffoides G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
36. Xanthosoma mariae Bogner & E.G.Gonç. - Peru
37. Xanthosoma maroae G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
38. Xanthosoma maximiliani Schott - eastern Brazil
39. Xanthosoma mendozae Matuda - México State in central México
40. Xanthosoma mexicanum Liebm. - Chiapas, Oaxaca, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela
41. Xanthosoma narinoense Bogner & L.P.Hannon - Colombia
42. Xanthosoma nitidum G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
43. †Xanthosoma obtusilobum Engl. - Mexico, probably extinct
44. Xanthosoma orinocense G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
45. Xanthosoma paradoxum (Bogner & Mayo) Bogner - Colombia
46. Xanthosoma pariense G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
47. Xanthosoma peltatum G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
48. Xanthosoma pentaphyllum (Schott) Engl. - Brazil
49. Xanthosoma platylobum (Schott) Engl. - Brazil
50. Xanthosoma plowmanii Bogner - Brazil
51. Xanthosoma poeppigii Schott - Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina
52. Xanthosoma pottii E.G.Gonç. - Mato Grosso do Sul
53. Xanthosoma puberulum Croat - Bolivia
54. Xanthosoma pubescens Poepp. - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Brazil
55. Xanthosoma pulchrum E.G.Gonç. - Mato Grosso
56. Xanthosoma riedelianum (Schott) Schott - southeastern Brazil
57. Xanthosoma riparium E.G.Gonç. - Goiás
58. Xanthosoma robustum Schott – capote - Mexico, Central America; naturalized in Hawaii
59. Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott (Syn. Xanthosoma atrovirens K.Koch & C.D.Bouché, Xanthosoma violaceum Schott)- arrowleaf elephant ear, tiquizque, macal, nampi, malanga or American taro^[7] - Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil; naturalized in West Indies, Africa, Bangladesh, Borneo, Malaysia, Christmas Island, Norfolk Island, some Pacific Islands, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia,^[8] Oaxaca^[9]
60. Xanthosoma saguasense G.S.Bunting - Venezuela
61. Xanthosoma seideliae Croat - Bolivia
62. Xanthosoma stenospathum Madison - Peru
63. Xanthosoma striatipes (K.Koch & C.D.Bouché) Madison - Brazil, the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay
64. Xanthosoma striolatum Mart. ex Schott - French Guiana, northern Brazil
65. Xanthosoma syngoniifolium Rusby - Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil
66. Xanthosoma taioba E.G.Gonç. - Paraíba
67. Xanthosoma tarapotense Engl. - Peru
68. Xanthosoma trichophyllum K.Krause - Peru, Ecuador
69. Xanthosoma trilobum G.S.Bunting - Amazonas State of Venezuela
70. Xanthosoma ulei Engl. - northwestern Brazil
71. Xanthosoma undipes (K.Koch) K.Koch – tall elephant's ear - widespread from Bolivia north to southern Mexico and West Indies
72. Xanthosoma viviparum Madison - Peru, Ecuador
73. Xanthosoma weeksii Madison - Ecuador
74. Xanthosoma wendlandii (Schott) Schott (syn. Xanthosoma hoffmannii Schott, Xanthosoma pedatum Hemsl.) Oaxaca, Central America, Venezuela
75. Xanthosoma yucatanense Engl. - Yucatán, Quintana Roo

Deprecated

• Phyllotaenium lindenii André (as X. lindenii (André) Engl.)

Etymology

The name is derived from the Greek words ξανθός (xanthos), meaning 'yellow', and σῶμα (soma), meaning 'body'. It refers to the stigma or yellow inner tissues.^[10]

Uses

Top Yautía (Cocoyam) Producers
(in metric tons) ^[11]

Rank	Country	2012	2013	2014
1	Cuba	153782	185922	269590
2	Venezuela	75132	84516	85607
3	El Salvador	43000	43000	41110
4	Peru	29200	30000	30960
5	Costa Rica	11692	23742	30000
6	Dominican Republic	32595	29104	28180
—	World	378952	423415	508079

Worldwide yautía yield

Domestication of Xanthosoma species (especially X. sagittifolium but also X. atrovirens, X. violaceum, X. maffaffa and others) is thought to have originated in northern lowland South America, then spread to the Antilles and Mesoamerica. Today, Xanthosoma is still grown in all those regions, but is especially popular in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where it is used in alcapurrias or boiled. It is grown in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica to make the popular callaloo dish,^[12] and in St. Kitts and Nevis to make tannia fritters.^[13]

It is also grown in West Africa, now a major producer, where it can be used as a replacement for yams in a popular regional dish called fufu.

Xanthosoma is also grown as a crop in the Philippines.

Traditionally, Xanthosoma has been a subsistence crop with excess sold at local markets, but in the United States, large numbers of Latin American immigrants have created a market for commercial production. In general, production has yet to meet demand in some areas. In Polynesia, Alocasia macrorrhizos (‘ape) was considered a famine food, used only in the event of failure of the much preferred taro (kalo) crop.^[14] After having been introduced to Hawaii in the 1920s from South America, Xanthosoma has naturalized and has become more common than A. macrorrhizos, and has been given the same name, ʻape.

The typical Xanthosoma plant has a growing cycle of 9 to 11 months, during which time it produces a large stem called a corm, this surrounded by smaller edible cormels about the size of potatoes. These cormels (like the corm) are rich in starch. Their taste has been described as earthy and nutty, and they are a common ingredient in soups and stews. They may also be eaten grilled, fried, or puréed. The young, unfurled leaves of some varieties can be eaten as boiled leafy vegetables or used in soups and stews, such as the Caribbean callaloo.

Flour made from Xanthosoma species is hypoallergenic.^[15]

Gallery

• 
  Inflorescence of Xanthosoma sagittifolium
• 
  Inflorescence of X. daguense
• 
  Beetle pollination in X. daguense
• 
  Infructescence of X. poeppigii (Peruvian Amazonas); X. daguense (Western Cordillera of Los Andes, Colombia)

References

1. "Genus: Xanthosoma Schott". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-07-09. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
2. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
3. Valerio, C. E. (1988), "Notes on the phenology and pollination of Xanthosoma wendlandii (Araceae) in Costa Rica" (PDF), Rev. Biol. Trop., 36: 55–61
4. Garcia-Robledo, Carlos; et al. (2004), "Beetle pollination and fruit predation in Xanthosoma daguense (Araceae)", Journal of Tropical Ecology, 20 (4): 459–469, doi:10.1017/S0266467404001610, S2CID 85768260
5. Garcia-Robledo, Carlos; et al. (2005a), "Equal and opposite effects of floral offer and spatial distribution on fruit production and pre-dispersal seed predation in Xanthosoma daguense (Araceae)", Biotropica, 37 (3): 373–380, Bibcode:2005Biotr..37..373G, doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2005.00049.x, S2CID 86329238
6. Garcia-Robledo, Carlos; et al. (2005b), "Geographic Variation and Succession of Arthropod Communities in Inflorescences and Infructescences of Xanthosoma (Araceae)", Biotropica, 37 (4): 650–656, Bibcode:2005Biotr..37..650G, doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2005.00082.x, S2CID 45182954
7. Lim, T. K. (2015). "Xanthosoma sagittifolium". Edible Medicinal and non Medicinal Plants. pp. 498–509. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9511-1_15. ISBN 978-94-017-9510-4.
8. Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution map
9. García-Mendoza, A. J. & J. Meave del Castillo. 2011. Divers. Florist. Oaxaca 1–351. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria
10. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. IV R-Z. Taylor & Francis US. p. 2849. ISBN 978-0-8493-2678-3.
11. "Production of Yautia (Cocoyam) by countries". UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO). 2014. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
12. Caribbean Islands. Lonely Planet. 2021. p. 243. ISBN 978-1-78701-673-6.
13. Caribbean Islands. Lonely Planet. 2021. p. 682. ISBN 978-1-78701-673-6.
14. Abbott, Isabella Aiona. (1992). Lā'au Hawai'i : traditional Hawaiian uses of plants. [Honolulu, Hawaii]: Bishop Museum Press. p. 5. ISBN 0-930897-62-5. OCLC 26509190.
15. Vaneker, K. The Pomtajer. Page 216 In: Friedland, S. R., Ed. Vegetables: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cooking 2008: Volume 26 of Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery. Oxford Symposium, 2009.

External links

• Media related to Xanthosoma at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Xanthosoma at Wikispecies
• Xanthosoma spp. at Purdue University, Center for New Crops & Plants Products
• Distribution and names of edible aroids