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Arisaema tortuosum

Common name:		Family:	Araceae
Author:	(Wall.)Schott.	Botanical references:	51, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Arum tortuosum (Wall.), Arisaema curvatum ((Roxb.)Kunth.)
Known Hazards:	The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water.
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas from Simla to Sikkim and Bhutan.
Habitat:	Forests, shrubberies and open slopes to 3000 metres[51]. Moist shady places at elevations of 1500 - 2200 metres in Nepal[272].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arisaema [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	tortuosum = twisted
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arales. Arum family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from May to June. The 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. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

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

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Root.

Tuber - it must be thoroughly dried or cooked before being eaten[51, 177]. The tubers are boiled and eaten in Nepal, mixed with lime juice (Citrus aurantifolia) or another sour substance[272]. The tubers are buried in masses in pits until acetous fermentation takes place, they are then dug up, washed and cooked, by which means their acrimonious principles are in part dispersed[2]. However, violent illness has still been known to follow a hearty meal of the tubers[2]. See also the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Vermifuge.

The roots have been used as a vermifuge in cattle[240, 243]. The juice of the tubers is applied to the wounds of cattle in order to kill any parasites[272]. The dried powdered tubers is applied to snake bites[272].
The seeds have been mixed with salt and used to treat colic in sheep[240, 243, 272].

Other Uses

Insecticide.

The tubers have insecicidal properties[272].

Cultivation details

Prefers a cool peaty soil in the bog garden, woodland garden or a sheltered border in semi-shade[134, 200]. Prefers a loamy or peaty soil and will tolerate a sunny position if the soil is moist but not water-logged and the position is not too hot or exposed[1, 200].
Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain and are normally best if given protection[1]. However, they can succeed outdoors in the milder areas of the country if the tubers are planted about 20cm deep[200]. Plants require protection from slugs[200].
Most species in this genus are dioecious, but they are sometimes monoecious and can also change sex from year to year. This species usually bears either monoecious or all male flowers[266].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame[134]. Stored seed remains viable for at least a year and can be sown in spring in the greenhouse but it will probably require a period of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 6 months at 15° c[134]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least a coupe of years until the corms are more than 20mm in diameter. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst they are dormant.
Division of tubers when the plant dies down in late summer.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[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 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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[243] Medicinal Plants of Nepal Dept. of Medicinal Plants. Nepal. 1993
Terse details of the medicinal properties of Nepalese plants, including cultivated species and a few imported herbs.

[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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