Did you know that Suvrnagedde (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius), Annual soft tuberous herbal tropical crop, known by numerous synonyms, also popular as Elephant foot yam, is an odd looking aroid in the Araceae family of plants, and is an anti malarial and anti diarrhoea folk medicine?

Suvrnagedde (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius)

Did you know that Suvrnagedde (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius), Annual soft tuberous herbal tropical crop, known by numerous synonyms, also popular as Elephant foot yam, is an odd looking aroid in the Araceae family of plants, and is an anti malarial and anti diarrhoea folk medicine?

Suvrnagedde, also spelled Suvarnagadde (ಸುವರ್ಣಗಡ್ಡೆ) in Kannada language, with scientific name Amorphophallus paeoniifolius with several synonyms is popularly called Elephant foot yam is a topical tuber crop, an odd looking aroid in the Araceae family of plants widely grown throughout India. Its origin though said to be in India is contested and claimed to be from Islands of Southeast Asia, which spread to Thailand and Pacific Islands and then to India and Sri Lanka. It is a giant yam popular for culinary purposes and in folk medicine, and is raised as a cash crop. 

In vernacular languages of India, it is called Suvrnagedde or Suvanagadde (ಸುವರ್ಣಗಡ್ಡೆ) in Kannada,Ol in Bengali, Chenai in Malayalam, Thioyakanda in Telugu, Karakarnai or Shenaikizangu in Tamil, Randraksha in Marathi and Sanskrit. Its common names also include elinga-potato, leopard palm, Stanley's washtub , Ol-kochu and gobu.

Suvarnagedde is an odd looking aroid which grows to a height of about 2.5 m from a massive discoid (having the form of a discus) edible (after boiling). This herbal plant is cultivated by road sides, cultivated fields and open land, and also in the wild in moist deciduous forests. It is usually 20 cm across, depressed globose, tubercled, and pale pink inside. The plant blooms annually around the beginning of the rainy season. The flower bud emerges from the corm as a purple shoot, and later blooms as a purple inflorescence. The pistillate (female) and staminate (male) flowers are on the same plant and are crowded in cylindrical masses as an inflorescence. Following the first bloom of the inflorescence, female flowers start developing into berries bright red fruiting bodies, and other parts of the inflorescence start wilting away. Flowering and fruiting usually takes place during May-June. The berries are red when ripe and are not quite round, being subglobose or ovoid. 

Its use in folk medicine and in Indian Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani medicines is to treat dysentery/diarrhoea, piles, and malaria As a healthy vegetable, it is usually eaten as mashed or fried or added to curries. In many parts of South India, it has been an integral part of people's diet for centuries. Suvarna Gedde palya or stir fry, and Kandattu or Elephant Foot Yam Dosa is popular in some parts of Karnataka. Suvarnagadde huli (sambar) is also popular.

- Narasipur Char