In many parts of Mesoamerica (Mexico southward) Xanthosoma robustum roots are considered edible if you cook them. But in much of Alta Verapaz and Peten (Guatemala), the roots are simply considered toxic and not eaten any more since so many modern fruits and vegetables are sold in all the Mayan village markets: carrots, potatoes, etc.
We (FLAAR in USA and FLAAR Mesoamerica in Guatemala) are studying root crops, to significantly improve the helpful 1966 list of edible roots of the Classic Maya by Bennet Bronson. So one of our Q’eqchi’ Mayan plant scouts, Pedro, went to find Xanthosoma robustum near where he lives (several kilometers into the mountains from Senahu, Alta Verapaz). He found an ample area with several hundred Xanthosoma robustum plants alongside the dirt road towards Panzos (to Trece Aguas area, a turnoff from the highway from Rio Polochic up to Senahu).
He said that most of the Xanthosoma robustum plants are chopped down to clear land for milpas or for other agriculture spaces, so you rarely any more can find mature plants. So he said the mature plants with full-sized leaves we will have to do lots more scouting to find. But on the first day of February we at least found one leaf 1.23 length by .81 meters width. Senaida Ba, another of our helpful Q’eqchi’ Mayan plant scouts found a leaf which we measured to be 1.51 by .97 meters.
Xanthosoma robustum leaf 1.51 by .97 meters
Xanthosoma robustum leaf 1.23 length by .81 meters width
Sixty years ago there were mature plants to find full-sized leaves. So the botanical monograph Flora of Guatemala documents Xanthosoma robustum size as: “leaf blades sagittate-ovate, often two meters long but usually shorter,…” (Standley and Steyermark 1958: 360). WOW, we definitely look forward to finding a TWO meter long leaf. We have found leaves of Heliconia mariae much longer (but not as wide as a Xanthosoma leaf).
Posted Feb 06, 2020
