In _Stalking the Wild Asparagus_, Euell Gibbons experimented
with this using tubers of Jack-in-the-pulpit and skunk
cabbage. He found that only thorough drying (six months to
a year) rendered them edible. Of course, tubers may be
different from shoots in this regard.
The problem would be to get ENOUGH of any one
> species to make it worth your while. Lasia spinosa grows
> in huge stands, as does Colocasia, but other aroids, even
> the spiny ones, grow sort of one plant here, one plant
> there, so you`d have hell finding enough leaves at the
> correct stage of growth!
In some parts of Hawaii, Epipremnum aureum also occurs in
huge stands. It is not spiny, but it might be suitable for
testing the thesis that all aroids can be made edible. I'm
prpbably not going to try it, though.
> I debated this on aroid-L some years ago. As far as I
> know, modern man has not selected any particular clone of
> this plant for fruit production. BUT---did native
> Americans do this?? Who knows. M. deliciosa fruit has
> LOTS of edible pulp and a few LARGE seeds, but one has to
> be careful when trying to eat the pulp not to bite into
> the odd seed secreted in this wonderful pulp, as they
> will itch!
The Monstera fruits I have seen in stateside markets (grown
in Mexico) comes with instructions on how to avoid the itch.
> I believe that the fruit are prized in Mexico and
> elsewhere. The fruit of some Philodendron sps. are also
> prized as food in S. America.
You may recall in my note on Syngonium a few days ago, I
also mentioned sweet pulp. I'm not sure what part of the
infructescence gave me the itch, but it cannot have been the
pulp, because it was in the wrong part of my mouth. I
wonder if Syngonium could be selected for larger and better
fruit?
Whatever river 'shakes your tree' as a chiller,
> go for it!!! :--)
>
I suspect that was his way of asking where the fruit
originally came from, i.e., which river is nearest that
locality.
Jason Hernandez
Naturalist-at-Large
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