Amorphophallus muelleri

Prain

Elling konjac

AraceaeRootsShootsScore: 18/100Potential hazards — see below

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(c) Andi Siady Hamzah, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Andi Siady Hamzah

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(c) anggasakti, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Tubers, Corm, Root, Stem

Root - cooked. The corm must be thoroughly boiled or baked, it is acrid when raw (see notes above on 'Known Hazards'). The fresh corms are turned into curd, or are chopped then dried. The curd is relatively tasteless, but it absorbs flavours well and so can be used as a carbohydrate element in a wide range of other foods. Especially just before the foliage declines prior to dormancy, the tubers are a rich source of mannan, a polysaccharide of mannose and glucose. The mannose is extracted and widely used in foods for diabetics. Glucomannan, a soluble fibre formed from mannan and glucose, cannot be metabolized by the human body, but is metabolized by intestinal bacteria. Inside the digestive system, glucomannan absorbs up to 200 times its weight in water without any negative action upon the digestive system. It therefore can give a feeling of fullness and be of use to aid in weight loss, it also relieves constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as reducing serum cholesterol levels. Glucomannan is widely used as an emulsifier and stabilizer in foods and drinks.

Known Hazards

Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs to a family where most of the members contain calcium oxalate crystals. This substance is toxic fresh and, if eaten, makes the mouth, tongue and throat feel as if hundreds of small needles are digging in to them. However, calcium oxalate is easily broken down either by thoroughly cooking the plant or by fully drying it and, in either of these states, it is safe to eat the plant. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in shady areas between 200-1,000 m above sea level.

Andamans, Asia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A taro family plant that forms a large tuber (corm). The tuber is 20-28 cm across. It is dark brown and smooth. This herb produces a large single leaf each year. The leaf stalk is 140 cm tall. It is smooth and pale green to brown with whitish spots or patches. The leaves are pale green and slightly shiny with pale red edges. Bulbils develop in the axils of the leaflets. The flowers are along a fleshy axis 8-30 cm long. They are brownish purple or greyish green fruit. The fruit are bright red.

Nutrition Score: 18/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Corm	80.3	—	—	3.8	—	0.9	—	—

How to Grow

It can be grown by small tubers or bulbils. Tubers are dormant and this must be broken before plants grow. It can be grown from seed.

Propagation: Seed - usually germinates easily and well.

Medicinal Uses

Glucomannan, a soluble fibre obtained from the tuber, cannot be metabolized by the human body, but is metabolized by intestinal bacteria. Inside the digestive system, glucomannan absorbs up to 200 times its weight in water without any negative action upon the digestive system. It therefore can give a feeling of fullness and be of use to aid in weight loss, it also relieves constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as reducing serum cholesterol levels.

Other Uses

Glucomannan, obtained from the tuber, has a wide range of used in various industries. It has gelling and film-forming properties and is widely used as an emulsifier and stabilizer in foods, drinks, cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry. It is also used as a non-clay drilling fluid in the diamond and oil industries.

Notes

There are about 170-200 Amorphophallus species.

Names & Synonyms

Acung, Badur, Iles-iles, Kerubut, Porang, Wa-u

Amorphophallus blumei (Schott) Engl. [Illegitimate]Amorphophallus burmanicus Hook.f.Amorphophallus carnosus Engl.Amorphophallus erubescens Hett.Amorphophallus oncophyllus Prain ex Hook.f.Amorphophallus planus Teijsm. & Binn.Amorphophallus timorensis Alderw.Arum muelleri Zipp. ex BlumeBrachyspatha muelleri (Blume) SchottConophallus blumei Schott [Illegitimate]Conophallus muelleri (Blume) Miq.Conophallus planus (Teijsm. & Binn.) Miq.

References (11)

Brown, D., 2000, Aroids. Plants of the Arum family. Timber Press. (Second edition) p 269
Ivancic (As Amorphophallus oncophyllus)
J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 62(2,2):80. 1893 Aug (Prain ex J. D. Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 6:516. 1893 Sep)
Kay, D.E., 1973, Root Crops, Digest 2, Tropical Products Institute, London, p 61
Lim, T. K., 2015, Edible Medicinal and Non Medicinal Plants. Volume 9, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs. Springer p 8
Mansfield's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. p 2323
Onwueme, I. C., 1978, The Tropical Tuber Crops. Wiley, p 199 (Also as Amorphophallus oncophyllus)
Shin, T., et al, 2018, Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants with special emphasis on medicinal uses in Southern Shan State, Myanmar. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2018) 14:48
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 1062
Suwardi, A. B., 2018, Nutritional Evaluation of Some Wild Edible Tuberous Plants as Alternative Foods. Innovare Journal of Food Science, Vol. 6, Issue 2.
Trimanto, & Hapsari L., 2016, Botanical survey in thirteen montane forests of Bawean Island Nature Reserve, East Java Indonesia: Conservation status, bioprospecting and potential tourism. Biodiversitas 17: 832-846.