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 Contenido (Mostrando Ediciones 3000 - 3000) Anterior | Próximo
Cephalostachyum pergracile - Tinwa Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Flavouring
A tufted bamboo. It loses its leaves during the year. The culm or stem is erect and the tip hangs over. It grows 7-30 m high. The stem is 2.5-7.5 cm across. The wall is very thin. It is a greenish white with hairs below the nodes. The internodes are 25-40 cm long. The nodes are slightly thickened. There are several branches from each of the higher nodes. The culm sheath is 10 -15 cm long by 15-20 cm wide. It is thick and leathery. It falls off. The leaf blade is narrow sword shaped and 10-35 cm long by 1.5-6 cm wide. They are rough on both surfaces. They are slightly hairy underneath
Dendrocalamus asper - Giant Bamboo, Sweet Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A very large densely tufted bamboo. It is a woody grass. It forms large groves. The culms or stems can be 20-30 m high. The clumps can spread 12-24 m wide. The stalks are 15-20 cm across. They are covered with fine velvety brown hairs when young. The internodes can be 10-20 cm long lower down and 30-50 cm long higher up. The nodes are swollen. The lowest nodes have many aerial roots. The nodes in the middle and higher have branches. The culm sheath is 20-40 cm long by 20-25 cm wide. The leaf blade is 30 cm long by 2.5 cm wide.
Dendrocalamus membranaceus - White Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo which forms an open clump. The culm or stem is very straight. It grows 20-24 m high. It is 6-10 cm across. It has a white powdery covering over it when young. It turns green on maturity. The internodes are 22-38 cm long. The lower node has aerial roots. There are branches from the nodes. The culm sheath is 30-50 cm long by 12-20 cm wide. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 12-25 cm long by 1.5-2.5 cm wide. It is thin and pale. It tapers to the tip. The flowering stalks are on leafless branches.
Dendrocalamus minor - Angel Mist Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 5-12 m tall. The culms are 6-8 cm wide. The internodes are green or yellow with green stripes. They are 30-45 cm long. The leaves are 10-25 cm long by 2-3 cm wide.
Gigantochloa atroviolacea - Giant Black Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It forms loose tufts. The stems are 12 m tall and 6-8 cm wide. The
Gigantochloa pseudoarundinacea - Bambu Gombong
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It is in dense tufts. The centre of the clump is raised above the ground and is irregular. The stems are 7-30 cm tall and 5-13 cm across. They have yellow stripes. The internodes are 40-45 cm long
Gigantochloa robusta - Mayong Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 20-33 m high. The young shoots are brown-green and have dark brown hairs. The stems are 7-9 cm across. There are aerial roots at the nodes. The internodes are 40 cm long. Branches
Phyllostachys aureosulcata - Yellow-Grove Bamboo
Edible Poriton: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 7-9 m tall. The stems are 4 cm across. It is a running plant. The internodes are 40 cm long. There are 2 or 3 leaves on the last branch.
Phyllostachys nigra - Black Bamboo, Purple Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A large bamboo grass. It grows 1.5-3 m high and spreads 1.8-3 m wide. It can be 10-15 m tall and spread 6-15 m wide. It forms clumps. The canes arch over. The canes are green in the first year then turn mottled to almost black. The canes are hollow and can be 3 cm thick.
