Some 3 billion people in the world live outside the cash economy in the world’s poorest nations. Food security and regular supply are their daily concerns. Chronic malnutrition is a leading cause of death and disease for them. Young children are amongst the most affected. One child every 5-10 seconds dies from undernutrition. Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness for someone every minute. Most people in tropical and subtropical countries are iron deficient.
Our goal is to provide information that enables people to choose the right plant for their environment, to give them stable food production and a greater choice of plants to enrich their diets and improve their nutritional wellbeing.
The plant fact sheets listed in this collection are only a small portion of those available from FPI. Please check your plant inquiries in the ECHO Search and reference the FPI plant database for further information.
Most of the plants selected to list here are further described in country-specific publications by Food Plant Solutions (FPS in the Search).
8000 Starchy Staples
7000 Legumes
6000 Leafy Greens
5000 Fruits
4000 Vegetables
3000 Nuts, Seeds, Herbs, and other foods
562 Issues in this Publication (Showing issues - 8000) Previous | Next
Amorphophallus konjac
Edible Parts: Tuber, Corm, Flower stalks, Vegetable, Roots, Leaves
Description: A large herb which keeps growing from year to year. The tuber is round and 30 cm across. It produces long rhizomes off the side. These are 50 cm long by 3 cm thick. There is a single leaf. The leaf stalk is smooth and dull pink. It is 1 m long. It has dark green and white spots. The leaf blade is very divided. The blade can be 2 m across. The leaflets are pointed and 3-10 cm long by 2.6 cm wide. The flower stalk can be 1.1 m long and coloured like the leaf stalk. The bract around the flower is broadly triangular and funnel shaped. It is 10-60 cm long and 10-55 cm across. It has a wavy edge. The outer surface is dull and brown-green. with darker green spots. It is red-brown inside. The flower spike is like a narrow cone and 0.15-1.1 m long. It can give off a smell like rotten meat for a few days.
Distribution: A tropical plant. It is less tropical than Amorphophallus paenifolius var. campanulatus. It grows up to 3,000 m altitude in Vietnam. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Yunnan.
Amorphophallus mairei Levéillé in Fedde
Amorphophallus nanus H. Li & C. L. Long
Amorphophallus rivieri Durand ex Carriere
Amorphophallus rivieri var. konjac (K. Koch) Engl.
Hydrosme rivieri (Durand ex Carriere) Engl.
Telosma cordata
Edible Parts: Leaves, Flowers, Fruit, Roots
Description: A woody climbing creeper. The stems are slender. They are hairy. The leaf stalks are 4-6 cm long. The leaves are broadly heart-shaped. They are thin and often wrinkled. They are pointed at the tip. The flower buds are pale green. They open to yellow 5-petalled flowers. They have a scent at night. The fruit are slender pods and 10-14 cm long. The seeds are up to 1 cm long. They are grey-brown.
Distribution: A tropical plant. It is best in full sun. It does well in hot, dry, lowland tropical locations. It needs a well-drained and fertile soil. It grows in limestone areas. In Yunnan.
Bak kik, Bunga siam, Bunga tongkeng, Cowslip creeper, Cowslip, Dok kig, Dok kik, East-coast creeper, Guaal manda, Kanjalata, Kha jon, Melati tongkeng, Pakalana, Phak kik, Primrose-creeper, Salit, Seetamanoharam, Thien ly, Tonkin creeper, Yelaixiang, Yexianghua
Alpinia purpurata
Edible Parts: Leaves - flavoring.
Description: A ginger family herb. It is upright and keeps growing from year to year. The stems are leafy and cane-like. It grows 1-5 m tall. It has spreading underground stems or rhizomes. These cause the plant to form thick clusters. The flower arrangement is at the top of the stems and is 25 cm long. The flowers have bright red bracts. The actual flowers are small and white on top of these bracts. The fruit is round capsules. These split open when the seeds are ripe.
Distribution: It is a tropical plant. It is best with part shade and moist conditions. It cannot tolerate frost. It does well in rich, wet soils. It needs acid soil with pH between 6.0-6.8. In Townsville Queens BG.
Alpinia grandis K. Schum.
Alpinia purpurata var. albobracteata K. Schum.
Alpinia purpurata var. anomala Gagnep.
Alpinia purpurata var. grandis (K. Schum.) K. Schum.
Guillainia novo-ebudica F. Muell.
Guillainia purpurata Vieill.
Languas purpurata (Vieill.) Kaneh.
Bauhinia tomentosa
Edible parts : Leaves, Seeds, Flowers
A shrub or small tree growing up to 1-8 m tall. It often has drooping branches. The small branches can be smooth or softly hairy. The leaves vary in shape but are more or less round. They are 1-10 cm long and 1-11 cm wide. They are divided into rounded lobes for about half their length. The leaf stalk is 1-3 cm long. The flowers hang over and are bell shaped. Mostly the flowers occur in pairs in the axils of leaves. They can also occur on up to 7 flowered stalks. The petals are lemon yellow. Sometimes they have a purple blotch. The petals overlap. There are 10 stamens. The fruit are straight long pods 7-15 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. They are rather woody and open naturally.
Distribution A tropical plant. It grows at low altitude woodland and along rivers. It needs well drained soil. It can be in coastal dune bush. In East Africa it grows from sea level to 2,100 m above sea level. In XTBG Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Brisbane Botanical gardens
Other names :
Adavimandaramu, Aptu, Bohinia kuning, Ching-kho-dok-lue-ang, Iruvaji, Kachnar, Kanjanam, Katondo-tondo, Kupu-kupu, Lahkyang, Mahahlega-wa, Micorra, Mong bo hoa chanh, Mong-bo vang, Muandia, Mucorra, Mulema, Murema, Musaponi, Phalgu, Pilo asundro, Pita kanchana, Tali kancu, Tapak kuda,
Alvesia bauhinioides Welw.;
Alvesia tomentosa (L.) Britton & Rose;
Bauhinia pubescens DC.;
Bauhinia tomentosa var. glabrata Hook.f.;
Bauhinia volkensii Taub.;
Bauhinia wituensis Harm;
Pauletia tomentosa (L.) A. Schmitz;
Piper nigrum
Edible : Seed, Spice, Herb, Fruit
A climbing, green, leafy vine. It is woody. The nodes are enlarged. The plant has roots on the main stem which attach to tree trunks. The vines can be 8-10 m long. The leaf stalk is 1-2 cm long. The leaf blade is oval and 10-15 cm long by 5-9 cm wide. It is thick and leathery. The base is rounded and it tapers to a short tip. The flowers are usually of one sex but many flowers occur together. The spikes are opposite the leaves. The spikes are 3-3.5 cm long by 0.8 mm wide. They can be 10 cm long. It has clusters of berries on the side branches. The berries are red when ripe. They are 3-4 mm across.
Distribution It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level up to at least 1100 m altitude in equatorial places. It suits areas with a temperature between 24° and 26°C. It cannot tolerate frost. It likes high humidity and shade. It does best with a rainfall between 1200 and 2500 mm per year. It has been planted in commercial stands in a few coastal areas of Papua New Guinea. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. It originally came from the tropics of India. It occurs in the Western Ghats in India. It suits hardiness zones 10-12
Other Names :
Black pepper, Bumawng-ru, Gol morich, Hapusha, Jaluk, Kajmurch, Kalamari, Kalamorich, Kalimirch, Kalomirich, Kapidi, Kare menasu, Konda miriyam, Kurumulaku, Lada hitam, Lada puteh, Lado ketek, Lado kobon, Maricha, Merica, Micha, Milagu, Mire, Miriyala tige, Morshaidi, Nallamulaku, Nga-yok-kaung, Paminta, Pappaa, Pedes, Pepe nero, Pfeffer, Phrik tai, Pimenta negra, Pimienta, Poivre, Priktai, Sayo-me, U-pinlong, Ushana, White pepper, Zwarte,
Muldera multinervis Miq.;
Piper interruptum
Edible : Stem
A slender vine. The stem is 2 cm across. The leaves are 8-12 cm long by 4-7 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 1-1.5 cm long. The flowers are opposite the leaves. The flowering shoots are 7-9 cm long.
Distribution It is a tropical plant. In north Australia it grows from sea level to 750 m above sea level
Other Names :
Sakhan, Chili wood,
Piper interruptum var. multinervum C. DC.;
Possibly Piper triandrum F. Muell.;
The stem is used as a flavouring. It is very spicy, with peppery and chilli tones,
Combretum indicum
Edible : Fruit, Seeds, Leaves, Stems
A scrambling shrub or vine. The stem is strong and woody. It branches freely. It can climb to 20 m high. The plant is erect and shrub like when young. The twigs have soft brown hairs when young. The leaves are opposite and oblong. They have heart shaped bases. They are 8-18 cm long and 4-6 cm wide. They have long sharp tips and prominent veins. The flowers are at the ends of branches or in the axils of leaves, sometimes in large clusters. There are broad bracts near the flowers. The flowers have a smell and vary between white, pink and purple. The colour changes and darkens over 3 days. The fruit is narrow and long. It is dry and light and has 5 wings along the sides.
Distribution : It is a tropical plant. It does best in light well-drained soils. It prefers an open sunny position. It is damaged by drought and frost. It needs a temperature above 13°C. It is common amongst shrubs in hot dry valleys throughout the Philippines. It is often cultivated as an ornamental woody vine. It can grow in arid places. In XTBG Yunnan. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
Other Names :
Akar dani, Akar pontianak, Ara dani, Barmasi vel, Bidani, Ceguk, Cheguk, Dani, Dawe-hmaing-nwe, Espuelo de gallo, Ettaguttilativva, Ilengaramalligai, Indian Jessamine, Irangunmalli, Kachekluk, Kasunbal, Lalachameli, Leb-mue-nang, Lep mu nang, Lep-mue-naang, Mawk-nang-nang, Niog-nigan, Quisqual, Rangonimalle, Rangoon-ki-bel, Rangunachavel, Redani, Sak sehs, Selimpas, Su quan tu, Tagulo, Tangolon, Tangulo, Tartaraok, Tige-ganneru, Udani, Urdani, Wedani,
Combretum indicum (L.) Jongkind;
Kleinia quadricolor Crantz;
Mekistus sinensis Lour. ex B. A. Gomes;
Quisqualis ebracteata P. Beauv.;
Quisqualis glabra Burm. f.;
Quisqualis grandiflora Miq.;
Quisqualis indica L.;
Quisqualis longiflora C. Presl.;
Quisqualis loureiroi G. Don;
Quisqualis obovata Schumach. & Thonn.;
Quisqualis pubescens Burm. f.;
Quisqualis sinensis Lindl.;
Quisqualis spinosa Blanco;
Quisqualis villosa Roxb.;
Derris elliptica
Edible : Leaves
An evergreen vine. The stem is sturdy and climbing. It can be 5-12 m long. The older stems can be 3-4 cm thick. The young shoots can grow for several metres without producing leaves. The leaves are divided and have a silky surface underneath. There are 7-15 leaflets. These are oblong and 2-42 cm long by 2-8 cm wide. They are widest near the tip before tapering to a point. The flowers are bright red and pea shaped. They occur in clusters. The clusters are 11-26 cm long. They have rusty hairs. The fruit is an oblong pod 4-8 cm long and 2-2.5 cm wide. There are 1-3 seeds inside.
Distribution : It is a tropical plant. It prefers humid well drained soil. It needs a protected sunny position. It is drought and frost tender. In Papua New Guinea it grows from sea level to 70 m altitude.
Other names:
Bakal bih, Co-rua, Etam chali, Hiru alu, Hon, Makoi sopa, Myin-gaung-nwe, Tuba Root
Paraderris elliptica (Wallich) Adema;
Dactyloctenium aegyptium - Comb Fringe Grass
Edible Portion: Seeds, Cereal, Rhizome, Root
An annual grass. The stems are slender. They can lie along the ground. These can form roots at the nodes. They can have runners and form mats. It is 15-60 cm high. The edges of the leaf sheaths have small hairs. The leaf blades are flat and 5-20 cm long by 0.2-0.6 cm wide. The surfaces are lumpy/hairy. It tapers to the tip. The flowers spread like fingers on a hand. There are 2-9 flower stalks. They are long and narrow. They often spread out horizontally. The spikes are on one side of the stalk. The tip is bare. The seed grains are about 1 mm across.
Colocasia esculenta - Taro
Edible Portion: Corm, Leaves, Stalks, Vegetable, Root, Flowers
This plant has large flat leaves on the end of upright leaf stalks. It grows up to 1 m high. The leaf stalk or petiole joins the leaf towards the centre of the leaf. The leaves are 20-50 cm long. Near the ground a thickened rounded corm is produced. Around this plant their is normally a ring of small plants called suckers. Many different varieties occur. If left to maturity, a lily type flower is produced in the centre of the plant. It has a spathe 15-30 cm long which is rolled inwards. The flowers are yellow and fused along the stalk. There are many named cultivated varieties.
Taro comes in two basic forms. The Dasheen type Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta and Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum or the Eddoe type. The basic difference is the adaptation of the Eddoe type to storage and survival in seasonally dry places, while the dasheen type needs to be maintained in a more or less continuously growing vegetative stage. These are now recognised as separate species names.
