BOTANICAL NAME: Maranta arundinacea
COMMON NAMES: West Indian Arrowroot
FAMILY: Marantaceae
PLANT DESCRIPTION
It is native to tropical South America. It does best on rich well-drained sandy loams. It is a completely different plant to Queensland Arrowroot Canna edulis It looks similar to Turmeric in leaf shape. The fine-grained starch, derived from the rhizomes, is the commercial source of arrowroot flour, which produces a very fine paste or jelly.
USES
Tubers can be eaten raw or baked but are very fibrous. To extract the starch, the tubers are first washed and then crushed. This pulp is mixed with water and passed through sieves to remove the fibres. The water is then evaporated off the trays, leaving the starch behind. The highly digestible starch is used in pastries, biscuits, and is preferred to flour in thickening soups, sauces and gravies.
PLANTING DETAILS
In cooler areas plant in spring, in frost-free tropical areas, plant at the beginning of the wet season. Plant the rhizome 5-7.5 cm deep. Space plants about 30 cm apart.
HARVEST
The rhizomes are ready to harvest at 10-12 months after planting when the leaves turn yellow and the stems fall over.
