This article is about the plant. For the cultivation of this plant in Tuvalu, see Pulaka.
Cyrtosperma merkusii
Babai cultivation in Butaritari, Kiribati.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Clade:
Tracheophytes
Clade:
Angiosperms
Clade:
Monocots
Order:
Alismatales
Family:
Araceae
Genus:
Cyrtosperma
Species:
C. merkusii
Binomial name
Cyrtosperma merkusii
(Hassk.) Schott
Synonyms
Cyrtosperma chamissonis (Schott) Merr.
Cyrtosperma edule Schott
Cyrtosperma lasioides Griff.
Cyrtosperma merkusii or giant swamp taro, is a crop grown throughout Oceania and into South and Southeast Asia. It is a riverine and "swamp crop" similar to taro,[1] but "with bigger leaves and larger, coarser roots."[2] There are no demonstrably wild populations today[citation needed], but it is believed to be native to Indonesia. It is known as puraka in Cook Islands, lak in Yap (Federated States of Micronesia), babai in Kiribati, iaraj in the Marshall Islands, brak in Palau, babaʻ in the Marianas Islands, pula’a in Samoa, via kana, Pulaka in Lau, Lovo in Fiji, pulaka in Tokelau and Tuvalu, mwahng in Pohnpei, pasruk in Kosrae, simiden in Chuuk, swam taro in Papua New Guinea, navia in Vanuatu[3] and palawan in the Philippines.
The same species is also known by the names Cyrtosperma lasioides, Cyrtosperma chamissonis and Cyrtosperma edule.[4]
In the harsh atoll environments of the Central Pacific, especially Tuvalu and Kiribati, swamp taro is an important source of carbohydrates in a diet dominated by fish and coconut. Its cultivation is difficult and time-consuming, and the plant has deep cultural as well as practical significance.[5][6] The roots need to be cooked for hours to reduce toxicity in the corms, but are rich in nutrients, especially calcium.[7] The cultivation of Pulaka in Tuvalu, and babai in Kiribati, is an important cultural and culinary tradition, now under threat from rising sea level and displacement from the growing use of imported food products.
In Nepal, Giant Swamp Taro is called mane and grows in the tropical and sub tropical forests along stream banks. It is gathered in January–February and all plant parts (leaf, stem, rhizomes) are savored after being boiled and roasted. The stem requires prolonged boiling and the water is replaced once to remove irritating chemicals. If cooked carefully, the rhizomes taste like taro and the leaves like spinach. But without careful washing, the food causes an unpleasant tingling or scratchy sensation.[8]
^"Tuvalu could lose root crop". Radio New Zealand. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
^"Leaflet No. 1 - Revised 1992 - Taro". Food and Agriculture Organization. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
Cyrtospermamerkusii or giant swamp taro, is a crop grown throughout Oceania and into South and Southeast Asia. It is a riverine and "swamp crop" similar...
Wallace's line. Cyrtospermamerkusii, or pulaka, is grown as a root crop in Oceania. Species Cyrtosperma beccarianum A.Hay - New Guinea Cyrtosperma bougainvillense...
others being Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, Colocasia esculenta, and Cyrtospermamerkusii, each with multiple cultivated varieties. Their leaves and stems...
specimen was believed to have been a hybrid between Lasia spinosa and Cyrtospermamerkusii. The subsequent discovery by Hambali and Sizemore led to the realization...
Colocasia esculenta Alocasia macrorrhizos Amorphophallus paeoniifolius Cyrtospermamerkusii Ipomoea batatas Dioscorea alata was first described and published...
found in the ocean and the lagoons of the atolls of Tuvalu. Pulaka, (cyrtospermamerkusii), or swamp taro, is an important source of carbohydrates. Rice now...
the bananas sold in Kiribati. The cultivation of taro or babai (Cyrtospermamerkusii) has been historically easier in the northern Gilberts due to a higher...
meats, supplemented by local foods: reef fish and shellfish, babai (Cyrtospermamerkusii), coconut, pigs, chickens, and seaweed (limu). Major exports are...
whereas the five most cultivated crops but the traditional Babai, Cyrtospermamerkusii, are imported Chinese cabbage, pumpkin, tomato, watermelon and cucumber...
others being Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, Colocasia esculenta, and Cyrtospermamerkusii, each with multiple cultivated varieties. Their leaves and stems...
Pulaka, Cyrtospermamerkusii, or swamp taro, is a crop grown mainly in Tuvalu and an important source of carbohydrates for the area's inhabitants. It is...
its size. The most conspicuous plants of the boglands are the arum Cyrtospermamerkusii and the giant bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus). Among the local...
Payaw may refer to: Cyrtospermamerkusii, a taro plant grown in the Philippines Homalomena philippinensis, an ornamental plant native to the Philippines...
(2 by 0.5 km). Seepage of saltwater into the pits in which babai (Cyrtospermamerkusii or giant swamp taro) is grown is the major concern of islanders....
longer-term solution for the storage of available fresh water. Swamp taro (Cyrtospermamerkusii), known in Tuvalu as Pulaka, is grown in large pits of composted...
675361 Agriculture in Tuvalu is based on coconut and swamp taro (Cyrtospermamerkusii), (known in Tuvalu as Pulaka), which is similar to taro (Colocasia...
survey of the pits that have previously been used to grow Swamp taro (Cyrtospermamerkusii), (known in Tuvalu as Pulaka) established that the pits were either...
abundant but of very limited variety. Main food staples are pulaka (Cyrtospermamerkusii) or swamp taro that is grown in the pits; breadfruit, coconut and...
Climate change is expected to worsen the following challenges: Pulaka (Cyrtospermamerkusii) pit salinisation due to saltwater intrusion; and Decreasing fisheries...
Aroidearum Exposita was published with that much delay. Treated now as Cyrtospermamerkusii (Hassk.) Schott. The species is now known at Lasia spinosa (L.) Thwaites...
settlements of Tonga and Tokelau, the two main pits for swamp taro (Cyrtospermamerkusii), (known in Tuvalu as Pulaka), the mangrove forest surrounding the...