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
552 Issues in this Publication (Showing issues 8000 - 8000) Previous | Next
Bambusa balcooa - Balku Bamboo, Baluka Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Vegetable
A densely tufted bamboo. The tip hangs over. The culm or stem is 17 m high. It can be 2.5-10 cm wide. The wall is 2 cm thick. The internodes or distance between joints is 20-45 cm long. Plants flower about every 35-45 years. The young shoot is blackish green. It is covered with blackish hairs. The leaf blade is oblong and 15-30 cm long by 2.5-5 cm wide. The flowering shoot can be 1 m long.
Bambusa beecheyana - Beechey Bamboo, Silk-Ball Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A medium sized bamboo. It forms clumps. It grows 5-12 m tall. The stems are 10 cm across. The tips hang down. The internodes are 34-41 cm long. They have a white powdery coating when young. There are several branches.
Bambusa blumeana - Spiny Bamboo, Thorny Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Vegetable
A spiny tufted bamboo. It grows up to 25 m high. The stems are 20 cm across. The internodes are usually hollow and from 40 to 60 cm long. The lower internodes are so thick walled they are almost solid. It grows in large clumps and the lower portion to 2 to 3 m is interlaced with spiny branches. The stems are smooth and green. Branches arise from the nodes. The culm sheath is 30 cm long by 22 cm wide. The back is covered with stiff hairs. The leaf blade is narrow and sword shaped. It is 15 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. Young shoots have yellowish green sheaths and blades. Plants flower very rarely. It may only flower every 20-30 years. The plants die after flowering.
Bambusa burmanica - Burmese Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 7-8 m tall. The stems are 3-4 cm across. They are almost solid. The internodes are green and 30 cm long. The leaf blades are narrow and 16-25 cm long by 2-3 cm wide.
Bambusa flexuosa - Lesser Thorny Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 6-7 cm tall. The stems are 4-6 cm across. The tips curve downwards. The internodes are 20-30 cm long. It has branches down to the base. It has tough thorns.
Bambusa gibboides - Tender Shoot Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 10-12 m tall. The culms are 5-7 cm across. The internodes are 50 cm long.
Bambusa horsfieldii - Nanap Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. The stems can be trailing or climbing. They are 7-8 m long and 1 cm across. The leaves are oblong to sword shaped and 18-23 cm long. The flowers are clustered at the nodes. The spikelets have 5-6 fertile florets.
Bambusa merrillii - Merrill Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
An erect straggling bamboo. It grows 18 m high. The stems have no spines. The leaves are small. The spikelets are densely covered with rather stiff or bristly hairs. The keels of the flowers have a prominent line of hairs.
Bambusa polymorpha - Bengal Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A densely tufted bamboo. The culms or stems are erect but can curve outwards at the top. They are 15-25 m tall. They are 7.5 -15 cm across. They are greyish green when mature. The internodes are 60-100 cm long. The nodes are thickened. There are branches from the nodes in the upper half of the stem. The culm sheath is 15-17.5 cm long by 30-35 cm wide. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 7.5-20 cm long by 8-20 mm wide. It is slightly rough with small lumps. The life cycle is probably 60 years. Plants die after flowering.
Bambusa sinospinosa - Chinese Thorny Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 15-24 cm tall. The stems are 8-14 cm across. The tips are slightly drooping. The internodes are 20-26 cm long. There is usually only one branches at the lower nodes. The leaf blade is 7-17 cm long by 1-2 cm wide.
