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Amorphophallus rivieri

Common name:	Devil's Tongue	Family:	Araceae
Author:	Durieu.	Botanical references:	200, 266
Synonyms:	Amorphophallus konjak (K.Koch.)
Known Hazards:	We have one report that this plant is very toxic raw, though no more details are given[178]. It belongs to a family where most of the members contain calcium oxalate crystals. This substance is toxic fresh and, if eaten, makes the mouth, tongue and throat feel as if hundreds of small needles are digging in to them. However, calcium oxalate is easily broken down either by thoroughly cooking the plant or by fully drying it and, in either of these states, it is safe to eat the plant. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones and hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet[238].
Range:	E. Asia - Cochin China, East Indies.
Habitat:	Loose leafy detritus in moist shady habitats[200]. Forest margins and thickets at elevations of 830-1200 metres in western Yunnan[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. konjac[E,G,H,P] A. rivieri var. konjac[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chu Jo [E], Devil's Tongue [P], Jo T'Ou [E], Kuei T'Ou [E], Kuei Yu [E], Voo Doo Bulbs [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arales. Arum family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.75m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. The scented flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Flies. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Root.

Rhizome - cooked[200]. The root must be thoroughly boiled or baked, it is acrid when raw[200]. Very large, it can be up to 30cm in iameter[266]. In Japan the large brown tubers are peeled, cooked and pounded to extract their starch, which is solidified with dissolved limestone into an edible gel called 'Konnyaku'[183]. Konnyaku is a type of flour valued for its use in many dietary products[266]. The flour is valued for its ability to clean the digestive tract without being a laxative[183]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. This root is very high in water and low in calories, so it is being promoted as a diet food in N. America[218].

Composition

Root (Fresh weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 97.4 Calories: 8 Protein: 0.1 Fat: 0 Carbohydrate: 2.3 Fibre: 0.1 Ash: 0.2
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 17 Phosphorus: 7 Iron: 0.3
Leaves (Dry weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0 Calories: 308 Protein: 3.8 Fat: 0 Carbohydrate: 88.5 Fibre: 3.8 Ash: 7.7
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 654 Phosphorus: 269 Iron: 11.5

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Febrifuge; Oxytoxic; Sialagogue.

The root is oxytoxic and sialagogue[178]. It is used in the treatment of cancer[218].
The flowers are febrifuge[218].

Other Uses

Insecticide.

The plant has insecticidal properties[218].

Cultivation details

Requires shade and a rich soil in its native habitats, but it probably requires a position with at least moderate sun in Britain.
This species is being increasingly cultivated for its edible tubers in Japan and China[183, 266] The plants are not winter hardy outdoors in Britain but are sometimes grown outdoors in this country as part of a sub-tropical bedding display[1]. It is also said to make a good house plant[1].
The tuber is harvested in the autumn after top growth has been cut back by frost and it must be kept quite dry and frost-free over winter[1, 133]. It is then potted up in a warm greenhouse in spring ready to be planted out after the last expected frosts. The tubers are planted 15cm deep[1].
The plant has one enormous leaf and one spadix annually. It requires hand pollination in Britain[1, 133]. When ripe for pollination, the flowers have a foetid smell to attract carrion flies and midges. This smell disappears once the flower has been pollinated[245].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a pot in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe and the pot sealed in a plastic bag to retain moisture. It usually germinates in 1 - 8 months at 24°c[133]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least a couple of years. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts, and give them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away strongly.
Division of offsets[1]. These are rarely produced[1].

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are evil-smelling and are pollinated by flies.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Amorphophallus konjac (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Amorphophallus konjak (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Araceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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