Philp. j. Crop Set. 1997 220) 1-7 Copyright 1997 CropScience Society ofthe Philipines 0115-465497 $1.25 Ethnobotanical Survey of Edible Aroids in the Philippines I. Farmers’ Beliefs, Experiences and Uses J.R. Pardales Jr Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center VISCA, Baybay, Leyte 6521-A, Philippines Taro (Colocasia esculenta), yautia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza), swamp taro (Cyrtosperma chamissonis) and elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus ‘campanulatus) comprise the edible aroids (Araceae) in the Philippines. Among these, it is only taro that is culturally and economically important. Yautia is also important but only to a very limited degree. Because of their use and extent of production taro and yautia are considered as major aroids while the other three - minor aroids. The major aroids are grown largely for food in practically all parts of the country whereas, the minor aroids are planted as surety crops especially in calamity-prone areas and for processing into special food products. The minor aroids can be found in greater concentration only in certain places of thecountry. The people in many rural areasadhere to a lotof folk beliefs regarding increasing, the size of corms, getting rid of the itchy nature, and ensuring good yield of the edible aroids. The indigenous knowledge system and traditional uses of the edible aroids are two significant reasons why the edible aroids, particularly the minor ones, are still in cultivation at present in some locations. Keywords: Distribution, diversity, edible aroids, folk belief, indigenous knowledge, morphological characteristics, traditional use, way of life, taro, yautia, giant taro, swamp taro and elephant foot yam. ‘The edible aroids belong to the Aroid (Araceae) family and have food and other uses to a considerable number of people in the Philippines. These crops are taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott), yautia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott), giant taro (Alocasia macrorthiza (L) Schott), swamp taro (Cyrtosperma chamtissonis (Schott) Merr.) and elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus ‘campanulatus (Roxb.) Bl). Among these, tarois the most, socio-economically important and most widely distributed. Yautia is also common in many places in the country but its importance is quiet limited. The rest of the edible aroids, known as the minor aroids, in contrast with taro and yautia which are the major aroids, are confined only to certain areas of the country where they are grown as insurance crops to provide food during time of emergency like after typhoons, floods, etc. The corms of the minor aroids are also processed into special delicacies. “The record of the early domestication of edible aroids in the Philippines is not available except for taro which is believed to be the earliest aroid crop introduced into the country. Blairand Robertson (undated) reported that the Spanish expeditionists observed taro cultivation in the country as early as the 1500s. Bayer (1948) mentioned that taro could have been introduced into the country by migrants from south China and Indochina who came by way of the land bridges about the 1300 to 500 BC. The span of time from the moment taro was first observed in the country up to the present could be the primary factor that has enabled the crop to evolve into several varieties that they are now through successive mutations. Over the years selection for outstanding characters by primitive growers is believed to have contributed also to the increase in the genepool of taro. METHODOLOGY Travels were made to selected parts of the country toconduct informal surveys about the distribution and diversity of the edible aroids, and farmers beliefs and knowledge related to edible aroids. The survey involved. visits to households having yard gardens or adjacent lots planted with any of the edible aroids. Impromptu interview withany member of the household was made. The oldest member of the household. was preferred as,2 Philipp. J. Crop Sci. 22(1) 1997 respondent to answer questions concerning cultivation practices, folk beliefs, indigenous knowledge and traditional uses of edible aroids Gross morphological descriptions of the edible aroids present in gardens or fields were also made during the household visits to establish the basic distinction of each of the edible aroid species. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Description and diversity of the edible aroids Taro. Among the edible aroids, taro is the most divergent species with more than 160 known varieties dispersed around the country. These varieties are mixtures of spontaneous primitive, wild and polymorphic commercial varieties. Gabi, gatoay, dagmay, sablos, aba, amalong and abalong are some of the popular ames of taro. Taro is a succulent perennial plant with large peltate or heart-shaped leaves (Fig. 1a) that are borne on long petioles arising in whorls from an underground, starchy corm. The corm that is part of the main or mother plant is surrounded by a number of secondary corms or cormels that give rise to new plants either in the form cof suckers or stolons. The inflorescence isa spadix type with a spathe covering the male and female flowers which have some abnormalities that impede fruit and seed setting (Pardales, 1980; 1981). The variability in taro can be observed in the leaves, petioles, corms, cormels and inflorescence wherein their size, shape, colorpattern, etc. may differ from one variety to another. Plant height may range from 0.5 m to over 1.0 m depending on the variety, growing condition and age of the plant. Yautia. Only three varieties are known to constitute this particular aroid species in the Philippines = the green, violet and yellow. These three are considered as polymorphic varieties of X. sagittfolium in this paper. However, the reports of Kay (1973) and Plucknett (1970) considered them as different species with the green form, as X. sagittfoliums, the violet, X.violaceum and the yellow, X. atrovirens. No genetic variations have been observed so far in each of these forms that will suggest the existence of certain varieties under any of them. Irrespective of the wariety or form yautia is popularly known as yutia takudo, pakudo, butig, staring, karlang and, uty Yautia resembles taro but its leaves are hastate with sharp pointed tips, deep, wide basal lobes and prominent marginal vein (Fig. 1b). Petiole and leaf color is green but sometimes suffused with violet or yellow. Its central corm is usually large and acrid. Only the cormels which may vary in flesh color are harvested and eaten. The inflorescence is like that of taro but is J-R. Pardales Jr generally bigger. The plantis largerand robust than taro. Its height may be over 1.5 m especially when grown under shade. The plant is best adapted to well-drained soils in contrast with taro which grows under dryland or wetland condition. Giant taro, Itis highly believed that only two or three varieties of giant taro are present in the Philippines and all of them are land race. The plant is commonly called talian, galiang or biga Giant taro is large, succulent perennial plant with large elongated petioles (Fig, 1c). The leaves are arrow- shaped with shallow and rounded lobes and point upward forming a straight line with the main axis of the petiole unlike taro or yautia whose leaf blades form an acute or right angle with their petioles. The plant readily produce flowers. The corms of giant taro are long, thick, woody-appearing cylinders which may extend over 1,0 m in length. The plant may reach more than 30 m in height. Like yautia, giant taro is well- adapted to dryland areas. Swamp taro. Known as palauan or palau, swamp taro is composed of only three known varieties that are also primitive in nature. ‘Swamp tarois large perennial plant whose arrow shaped leaves are carried on thick petioles with short leaf sheath (Fig. 1d) The leaf sheath may be covered with spines on its basal part. The leaf blades have deep and sharply pointed basal lobes which also points upward to form a straight line with the axis of the petiole. The corm is cylindrical in shape and resembles a banana sucker. The plant height may extend up 3.0 m or more. sits name suggest, swamp taro thrives well in wet or waterlogged areas. The plant bears flowers naturally. Elephant foot yam. Only one primitive variety of elephant foot yam is known in the Philippines at present. This is commonly known as purgapong, bagong or tigi The elephant foot yam. is a robust plant with a single, erect, rough or spiny stem that arise from the ground (Fig. 1e). The stem culminate with a single tripartite deeply lobed leaf. The corm is large, globulose and depressed and acrid. Plant height may be over 1.0, m. The plant strictly grows under well-drained soils. Distribution of the edible aroids Among the edible aroids, only the major aroids are grown all over the county. Of them, however, it is taro that grows well in a wide range of ecological conditions and farming systems encompassing wet and dryland ecosystems. Yautia is common anywhere in the Philippines but on strictly dryland environment. The minor aroids,on the other hand, are adapted toa narrow agroecological limits and are often found in certain areas of Samar and Leyte islands.Edible Aroids in the Philippines I Philipp. J. Crop Sci. 221) 19973 Fig. 1(a) Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L,) Schoot);, (b) yautia (Kanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott); (©) giant taro (Alocasia ‘macrorrhiza (L.) Schott); (@) swamp taro (Cyrto ‘sperma chamissonis Gehott) Merr.) and (e) elephant foot yam (Amorphophalius campanulatus Roxb.) Bl)4 Philipp. J. Crop Sci. 22(1) 1997 The distribution, as well as the diversity, of the edible aroids is largely influenced by the environment. Intaro, broad morphological variation can be observed from areas with favorable environmental condition. In Leyte and Samar, where rain is year-round, 34 discrete varieties of taro have been recorded so far, while in Negros Oriental, Cebu and Bohol, where dry period is pronounced, only seven distinct varieties of the crop have been documented. ‘A number of taro varieties have been also observed to be present in more than one location in the country. One variety that was found in an inland barangay in Baybay, Leyte, for example, was observed to have exact duplicates, morphology-wise, in Pontevedra (Negros Occidental) Baguio City (Benguet), Infanta (Quezon) and Mainit (Surigao del Norte). It could notbe established, however, where this particular variety (known as Gabi Tsina in Baybay, Leyte but named differently in the other places) really originated. Nine other varieties of taro were observed to have exact duplicates in three or more distant locations in the country. Trade, migration and social relations are believed to be the main causes for the spread of some taro varieties over many distant places. Folk beliefs related to cultivation of edible aroids Increasing corm size and number of stolons. In Calbiga, Samar old folks believe that taro, yautia or giant taro grow tall and produce big main corms if bamboo poles are used in making planting holes for these crops. ‘This belief is shared by taro growers in Kansungka, Baybay, Leyte. Many people elsewhere in Leyte and, Samar also believe that planting edible aroids during full moon or during high tide results in the production of large-sized corms. This belief is upheld by sweetpotato and cassava farmers as well. In the inland. town of Pastrana, Leyte, some old wornen tending taro gardens believe that coiling a vine of any plant around the waist while planting taro gives way to abundant production of long stolons which are very nutritious vegetable items. Also, in the same town, some natives believe that carrying a child in the back while planting yautia stimulates production of large cormels. A popular belief that is believed to bring about big corms in taro, yautia, giant taro and elephant foot yam is planting in large holes called gahong. The same planting is also believed to cause numerous stolons and cormels formation in taro and yautia, respectively. It is also a notion among traditional planters of giant taro and elephant foot yam that gakong stimulates corm enlargement. ‘Removing itchiness. The people who know the edible aroids very well regard itchiness as a basic problem in their use as food. In some parts of Bohol old J.B. Pardales Jr. folks apply a small amount of sugar on the base of the first sett (planting material) planted. It is adhered that this practice removes itchiness or acridity. Many planters of taro, yautia and giant taro in western Samar have a parallel practice of applying a mixture of sugar and lime to newly planted aroids. They consider that sugar and lime do not only remove acridity but also makes the essence of the corm dry and non-sticky. On the other hand, some garden keepers in Pastrana, Leyte believe that itchiness in any of the edible aroids can be avoided if the planter will refrain from scratching any part of his body during planting, Ensuring good yield. In Basey, Samar and its neighboring towns taro growers allege that planting taro orother crop in the same field where taro was previously grown does not give good result; the growth of the succeeding crop is often poor. In Calbiga, Western Samar taro is commonly interplanted with many other crops but the local growers refuse to interplant taro with ‘sweetpotato because both plants do not grow well when grown together. In the same town, there isalso the belief that planting materials from main or mother plants do not produce large corms. In Camarines Sur, taro farmers have the opinion that the plants should not be defotiated frequently or heavily because this leads to production of small corms. They believe that removal of the old leaves instead promotes development of the corms into bigger sizes. Regular removal of the stolons is also believed to enhance corm size. Farmers’ experiences on the use of edible aroids Food uses. Anywhere in the country taro corms and yautia cormels are used either as boiled food or ingredient of certain menu including snack preparations. Giant taro, elephant foot yam and swamp taro are grown primarily for food security especially in typhoon or flood prone areas like Leyte and Samar. In localities where these minor aroids are abundant, their corms are aiso processed into delicacies and confections of various sorts. In fact, the processing of these aroids have become a cottage industry in some towns of Leyte which became popular for their particular food product from edible aroids, An example of these towns are Dagami which is very famous for its binagol from giant taro; Javier for its sagmani from elephant foot yam, and Palo for its lidgid either from taro or giant taro. The traditional food uses of each of the edible aroids is given in Table 1. Boiled ‘main corms of yautia or chopped taro leaves and petioles are common swine feed in the villages Non-food uses. Some of the edible aroids or their particular varieties are still being grown in many gardens in the rural areas for their non-food benefits. ‘Anexampleis the rare cupped-leafed taro called manalulEdible Aroids in the Philippines I Philipp. J. Crop Sci. 22(1) 1997 5 ‘Table 1. Traditional food uses of the edible aroids in the Philippines. Crop. Plant part Use Preparation Taro corms food plainly boiled vegetable chopped and cooked together with meat or dried fish and spices in coconut milk delicacy ‘grated, mixed with sugar, milk and. coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaf then boiled or steamed stolons vegetable plainly boiled with other vegetable items or cooked together with meat or shredded dried fish in coconut milk. youngleaves vegetable plainly boiled together with stolons ald leaves vegetable shredded and cooked with spices in coconut milk cormels vegetable ‘chopped and cooked together with meat and spices in sauce Yautia corm swine feed chopped and boiled cormel vegetable ‘chopped and cooked with meat or dried fish in coconut milk food Plainly boiled Giant taro corm, food plainly boiled delicacy grated, mixed with sugar, milk, crunched peanut and coconut milk, ‘wrapped with banana leaf; boiled then pounded in mortar and pestle and mixed with sugar Swamp taro corm food plainly boiled Elephant corm food plainly boiled foot delicacy grated, mixed with pound peanut, yam Sugar, coconut milk then cooked petioles vegetable jusice extracted, petioles chopped and cooked with coconut milk which was found in an inland barangay of Baybay, Leyte. Its cup-like leaves collect water during night time. This water is popular among the local people as disinfectant for wounds or eyewash for sore-eyes. In the same village some old people also maintain a white- petioled taro variety because of its blood- stopping properties. A thin film of petiole skin coming from the same variety is good for covering and treating wounds. Many people from other places in Leyte and Samar believe, however, that any taro variety is good in stopping bleeding of small wounds or lacerations. This folk knowledge corroborates the information given by Lugod and Pancho (undated) that taro is antihaemorrhagic. ‘Another folk use of taro, which is popular in the Visayas and Mindanao is the use of its leaves to relieve dysmenorthea. To effect this, an afflicted woman simply sits on mature taro leaf. Old folks also believe thatsitting over taro leaves shorten menstrual period. Taro is also used traditionally by the Pinatubo Negritos, an ethnic tribe in Zambales, to alleviate the difficulty of women in giving birth. Expecting mothers are made to eat boiled mixture of leaves and corms of a certain taro variety, binata (Pancho, 1984). This particular use of taro is also practiced by some old people in Pastrana, Leyte. However, instead of the mature leaves and corms, the stolons and young unopened leaves are the ones that are boiled and served. It is widely believed that the slimy nature of the boiled taro parts makes child birth easier and less painful. In different parts ofeastern Leyte, the boiled preparation of stolons and very young leaves is used to cure constipation. Lugod and Pancho (non-dated) mentioned that taro corms are also digestive, diuretic, lactagogue and styptic. In Pastrana, Leyte, giant taro is used to treat animal wounds including those that are inflicted during caponizing or spaying. Treatment is done by first heating a petiole segment over an open fire and then dubbing it6 Philipp. J. Crop Sci. 22(1) 1997 on the wound incision. An ethnic tribe in Palawan, the Taghanua, uses giant taro to cure human ailment like rheumatism. Its roots and leaves are simply mashed, and then applied as poultice over the painful joints, (Pancho, 1984). Some people, particularly those in the inland parts of Leyte, claim that the juice extracted from crushed petioles of giant taro is an effective antidote for snake poison when applied immediately on the bitten part. The same people also believe that giant taro is a ‘good remedy for tooth aches wherein either a few drops, Of fresh sap or a tiny mass of decaying petiole tissue is, applied on the root canal of the aching tooth In Javier, Leyte an old person pointed that elephant foot yam has antirheumatic properties. To make use of the aroid, the corm is mashed to extract the juice and then the mashed corm is applied over the theumatic part of the body. Itis claimed that both pain and inflammation are checked by elephant foot yam. The Tagbanuas in Palawan use crushed inflorescence of ‘yautia to affect immediate healing to skin wounds and bites of stinged insects like bees and wasps. In terms of swamp taro, its young unopened leaves are utilized as vegetables while the mature ones, are used either as roofing material, sleeping mat, food wrapper or wrapping material for homemade tobacco cigar. Place of the edible aroids in the way of life of the people Taro is the only aroid that is strongly associated with the culture of the people in any part of the country. The other edible aroids are also important to some extent but only in the place where they are purposely grown. The affiliation of taro with the way of life of many people lies on the fact that Filipinos have close family and kindred ties and are observant of religious feasts and related activities. Relatives from rural areas visiting kins in the towns or cities often bring with them presents in the form of cooked or fresh taro corms. During fiestas or merrymaking to honor idolized saints, itis common for rural folks to send taro corms to their relatives celebrating the occasion. In Leyte and Samarboiled taro corms are a must in tables where special and expensive dishes are served including lechon (roasted pig). Anywhere in eastern Visayas, lechon is not complete without boiled taro corms.. Swamp taro corms are sometimes used as substitute for taro as companion food for lechon. In more conservative rural settings, fresh corms of taro are commonly included as present to parents of ‘a woman who is being asked in marriage. Cooked delicacies from giant taro, taro, elephant foot yam and recooked swamp taro corms wrapped in its own leaves are also common gift items to those celebrating JR. Pardales Jr. birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other special ‘occasions. In the city of Tacloban, a number of food products from edible aroids are sold especially for presents or for individual or family consumption, In eastern Visayas snack from taro, like ginatazn (diced taro corms either cooked alone or with ripe cooking banana and ripe jackfruit (Artocarpus heierophyllus Lam.) in coconut milk (gata) and sugars a delightful food. This preparation is purposely made during holidays like All Saints Day, or Holy Week. Ginataan or sweetened pound boiled swamp taro corms are served as snack food during bayanihan. CONCLUSION This study reveals that the distribution and diversity of the edible aroids in the Philippines vary very considerably. Likewise, the belief system and the indigenous knowledge pertaining to different aspects of cultivation and uses of each edible aroid differ in depth. Taro is the single edible aroid that is widely dispersed, broadly diverse, and has strongly association with the people based on the available bodies of belief and indigenous knowledge on it. All the other edible aroids have limited distribution, narrow genetic diversity and are subject of only a flaccid belief and indigenous knowledge system. This study may suggest also that the highly traditional nature of growing giant taro, swamp taro and elephant foot yam, together with their very narrow genetic base and restricted adaptability and distribution make the continued existence of these crops highly precarious. Frosion of traditional beliefs, loss of indigenous knowledge and unfavorable growing environment become the main threats, therefore, to the on-farm presence and availability of the minor aroids. ACKNOWLEDGMENT ‘The author is grateful for the financial support of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Regional Office for Asia, the Pacific and Oceania in the conduct of this study. LITERATURE CITED Bayer, H.O. 1948. Philippine and Easi Asian archeology and its relations to the origin of the Pacific Islands popula tion. Nat. Res. Con. Philipp. Bull. No. 29, pp. 6-12 Blair, EH. and J.A. Robertson. undated. The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898. Vol. 2,pp. 125-205. Kay, DE. 1973. Root crops. Tropical Products Institute, Lon: don. 245 pp. Lugod, G.C, and J.V, Pancho. undated. Medicinal plants in ‘he College of Agriculture arboretum and vicinity. UniEdible Aroids in the Philippines I versity ofthe Philippines, College, Laguna. 47 pp. Pancho, |. 1984. Folk uses of cultivated aroids in the Philip- pines. In: Eble Aroids (, Chandra, ed). Oxford Press, New York, pp. 3. ardales, JR. Jr 1980. Factors limiting fruit and seed devel- opment of aro. Ann. Trop. Res.2: 165-171 Philipp. J. Crop Sci.22(1) 19977 Pardales, JR Jr 1981. Floral morphology and biology, fruit and seed set, seed_ germination and seedling develop- ‘ment of taro. Ann. Trop. Res. 3: 169-176 Plucknett, D.L. 1970. Colocasia, Xanthosoma, Alocasia, Cyrtosperma and Amorphophaltus. In: Teopical Root and ‘Tuber Crops Tomorrow. pp. 127-136.