Alocasia macrorrhizos var. variegata

variegated giant taro

The underground stem of this plant is edible after lengthy cooking but is usually only used as a famine food. The reason for the need to cook it is to break down calcium oxalate crystals, which serve to cause significant irritation to the mouth and throat. These crystals are found in many other plants as a defense as well. If you think about it, no plant would ever want anything to eat its roots, so it makes sense to develop ways to protect them, especially if they have a lot of energy stored there in the form of starch.

Since it thrives in wet soil, grows so quickly, and is able to extract contaminants from wherever it grows, giant taro has potential for use in ecological sewage treatment processes.

In traditional Hawaiian medicine, stem juice was used to treat the skin after touching irritating plants such as nettle or sugar cane. The bitter sap of giant taro was thought to ward off evil spirits, so the leaves were wrapped around people with feverish conditions.

If you find yourself caught outside in a rainstorm either here or in another tropical locale, the full-grown leaves of this plant make effective natural umbrellas.