Beautiful foliage…
While hiking through the countryside last week, came across this small tapioca plant with variegated leaves (Manihot esculenta?). I’ve never seen one like it before… it was found growing by the side of an overgrown footpath leading to an abandoned vegetable patch.
Read this: http://paducahsun.com/bookmark/13649442-Variegated-tapioca-a-real-landscape-thriller
So it’s native to South America, hmm… I wonder if the tubers are also eaten; we do eat tapioca tubers here but this is the first I’ve ever come across this variety.
Tapiocas are easy to propagate via stem cuttings so I kind of wish I had taken a stem cutting or two because it’s quite an attractive plant.
7 comments:
yes we have that here! they use it as an ornamental in landscaping and yes it's edible. its actually at our miami fruit and spice park in the herb garden.
Hi I have taken photos of this plant in Bekenu..thanks for extra info ..I am glad it is found in the wild in Kuching..How plants travel from one continent to another!!
@Chris, are the leaves eaten too?
i dont know about the leaves but i can ask next time i visit the park.
@Sarawakiana, I think this was planted but the vege garden's no longer tended to.
@Chris, people here do eat the leaves of the more common variety, cooked with coconut milk or steamed/boiled then eaten with sambal.
that sounds DELICIOUS!
Spotted it again couple days ago, this time in someone's yard. Really like the variegated leaves!
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