University of Florida Plant Information Cassava—Manihot esculenta Crantz
Cassava is also known as manioc, manihot, yucca, mandioca, sweet potato tree, and tapioca plant. It is an important food crop in the tropics where it is grown for its starchy, tuberous roots. Cassava has been grown in Florida for many years. Around 1895, it was grown to such an extent that a few small starch factories were started to process the crop. Also, it became a common item in vegetable gardens all over Florida. While not as important a commercial crop as it once was, about 800 acres were grown in Dade County for the fresh market in 1984. Only a relatively few gardeners now include it in their home gardens.
1. This document is HS575, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date May 1994. Revised September 2015. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. James M. Stephens, professor emeritus, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.