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
558 Issues in this Publication (Showing issues 3000 - 3000) Previous | Next
Triadica sebifera - Candleberry-Tree, Chinese Tallowtree
Edible Portion: Seeds - oil
A tree which loses its leaves. It grows 6-9 m high and spreads 4.5-6 m wide. It has a rounded crown. The leaves are 5-10 cm long. They are rounded or almost diamond shaped and dull green. The leaves turn orange or red in autumn. The flowers are yellow-green. The fruit are about the size of peas. The fruit splits open to reveal 3 seeds. These are covered with a layer of pure wax. The seeds are 6 mm across.
Trichostigma octandrum - Basket Vine
Edible Portion: Leaves
A clambering shrub or creeper. It grows 5-10 m long or longer. The branches hang down. The stems are cylinder shaped and 5 -15 cm across. The leaves are alternate and papery and narrowly oval. They are 4-9 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. They are dull dark green on the upper surface and dull light green underneath. The fruit are round and fleshy and 5-7 mm long. They are purple.
Arenga pinnata - Black Sugar Palm
Edible Portion: Juice - Flowers, Sap, Seeds, Cabbage, Sago, Starch, Palm Heart
A large palm. It grows to 18 m high. It forms one trunk 30 cm across and covered with old leaf bases and black fibres. It has spines 7.5 cm long. It has long leaves which reach upwards. They have leaflets along the stalk made up of 100 or more pairs. The leaves are 8.5 m long. The leaflets are whitish beneath, lobed at the tip and with ear like pieces near the base. They have large flower stalks hanging down from the leaf axils. Several fruit stalks develop from the top downwards. When the palm is mature a flowering shoot is sent out from the axil of the upper leaf then followed by other flowers until the tree reserves are exhausted and the palm dies. The fruit are round and dark red. They are 4 cm across. The fruit pulp damages skin. There are usually 3 seeds per fruit. They have one flat side.
Bambusa bambos - Giant Thorny Bamboo, Spiny Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Seeds, Cereal
A densely tufted bamboo. The culm or stem is 30 m tall. It is 1`5-18 cm across. The wall is very thick. The internodes are 20-40 cm long. The stem is bright green. The nodes are slightly swollen. The lower nodes can have aerial roots. There are branches from the nodes. The lower branches have spines which curve backwards. The sheath of the stem is 15-35 cm long by 18-30 cm wide. It is wrinkled at the top. It is brown and hairy when young. It falls off as the branches develop. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 6-22 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. The flowering stalk is at the end of the leafy branches. After the bunch flowers, seeds are set and the clump dies.
Bambusa emeiensis - Ying Yang Yellow Strip Bamboo
Edible Portion: Flowers
A bamboo. It grows 5-10 m tall. The stems are 5-8 cm across. The tips hang down. The internodes are 15-30 cm long. Branches are higher up the stem.
Bambusa eutuldoides - China gold
Shoots
Edible parts - shoots
A bamboo. The stems are 6-12 m long. They are 4-6 cm across. They droop slightly at the top. The internodes are 30-40 cm long. There are several branches that are in clusters.
Bambusa lako - Timor Black Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. The stems can be 21 m tall. They can be 10 cm across. They are green when young and then mature to black. The leaves are long and hang down. They can be 25 cm long.
Bambusa multiplex - Hedge Bamboo, Chinese Dwarf Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A hollow tufted bamboo. It forms clumps. It is 2-6 m tall. It has slender stalks. The stalks are 1-2.5 cm across. They arch over at the tips. The internodes are 30-50 cm long. The culm sheath is 12-15 cm long by 6-8 cm wide. It is light green when young and turns reddish-brown or pale brown. The leaves are flat and reddish-green. They are sword shaped and clasp the stem.The blade is triangular shape and 9-12 cm long. It tapers to the tip. The base attaches to the sheath. The leaves are usually at the end of a branch. There are 6-13 together. The blades are 7-12 cm long by 1-1.5 cm wide. Mature plants produce flowering branches which arch over. The flowers are at the end of a leafy branch. The spik
Bambusa nutans - Nodding Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 10-15 m tall. The stems are 8 cm across. They form loose clumps. The stems are smooth and green with a white ring below the nodes. The nodes are slightly thickened and often hairy. The internodes are 25-45 cm long and the walls are thick. The sheaths are 10-23 cm long and 30 cm wide at the base.
