Montrichardia arborescens is an arborescent grass with straight stem, greyish, unbranched and sometimes has thorns. Its large globose seeds float to shore to germinate growing along rivers, banks, swamps or creeks to a maximum height of 3 m. It has arrow shaped leaves that are food sources for animal species. The plant produces inflorescences which then leave an edible fruit and can be cooked. Its fruiting spadices produces large infructescences, which contain about 80 edible yellow fruits according to One (2015). It occurs in British Honduras and Guatemala to Lesser Antillas and the Guinanas, in wet soil, most often in mud along the borders of tidal swamps or streams (World Flora Online, n.d.).
Robertt (2017) mentions different medicinal uses of this plant:
- Sap: To treat coughs and colds.
- Stem: For diabetes, tuberculosis, thrush, colds; juice for remedying sting of stingray, warts.
- Stem and Leaf: In Surinam, the finely ground tops of plants are stuffed into the nostrils to stop nosebleed.
- Leaf: For eyelid inflammation, boiled leaves are used in baths for remedying skin conditions and they are also used for the treatment of diabetes and tuberculosis.
- Taxonomy:
- 2016
- Flower and Inflorescence Development in Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott (Araceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences, Vol. 158, No. 4, pp. 408-417
Available Online:
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/297450 - 2021
- Caracterización estructural y florística de un bosque con palmas anegado (Chaguaramal), Península de Paria, Estado Sucre, Venezuela. Acta Botánica Venezuela. 35 (1), pages 1-26
Downloadable Online:
www.redalyc.org/pdf/862/86225571001.pdf - 2005
- Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott (Araceae) Newly Reported for Mexico. Aroideana, Vol. 28.
Downloadable Online:
www.aroid.org/gallery/croat/0280011.pdf - 2003
- Refugio de vida silvestre Bocas del Polochic, II Plan Maestro 2003-2007. Fundación Defensores De La Naturaleza.
https://rsis.ramsar.org/RISapp/files/657/documents/GT813mgt_SP.pdf
En los cuerpos de agua se encuentra una vegetación particular, la presencia de Chara vulgaris, Ceratopteris pteridoides, Acrostichum daneaefolium, Azolla caroliniana, Salvinia auriculata, Nymphaea ampla, Utricularia foliosa, Jussiaea natans, Hymenocalis littoralis, Pistia stratiotes, Vallisneria americana, Pontederia sagittata y Typha dominguensis, señalado por Scott y Carbonell 1,986. Además se determinó como más abundantes y representativas a la “ninfa de agua” (N. Ampla), “músico” (Montrichardia arborescens), “lechuga de agua” (Pontederia sp.) y “lechuguilla” (P. stratiotes. (Villar, 1992) (page 16).
- 2018
- Frutos Comestibles Silvestres y Cultivados de Colombia. Inventario total de frutas, nueces y semillas silvestres cultivadas en Colombia.
Montrichardia arborescens apprears on page 26. The seeds are edible.
Available online, not available for download:
https://issuu.com/fffpancc/docs/los_frutos_comestibles_silvestres_y_cultivados_de_ - 2001
- Contribución a la ecología de Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott (Araceae). II. Biomasa y producción. Acta Biologica Venezuelica, Vol. 21, No. 1.
Available Online:
http://saber.ucv.ve/ojs/index.php/revista_abv/article/view/4127 - 2016
- Monstrous deliciousness and devilish fruit - Kew's edible aroids. 1 web page.
and the 'fruit of the devil'? This is Montrichardia arborescens, cultivated in South America for its starchy tubers, and acquired its nickname due to its irresistible fruiting spadices which produce large infructescences, each containing about 80 edible yellow fruits. (Hall 2016).
Downloadable:
www.kew.org/read-and-watch/edible-aroids - 2011
- Amazonas. Guias Bradt. Alhena Media. 432 pages.
(Montrichardia arborescens) es común a lo largo de los ríos lentos de igapó. Crece sobre un tallo alto y corpulento y tiene un enorme espádice comestible parecido a la piña. (page 111). - 2016
- Modeling of regional- and local-scale distribution of the genus Montrichardia Crueg. (Araceae)
Downloadable Online:
https://apirs.plants.ifas.ufl.edu/site/assets/files/374311/374311.pdf - 1958
- Flora of Guatemala, Fieldiana, Botany, Volume 24, Part I. Chicago Natural History Museum.
Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott, Arac. Betreff. 1: 4. 1854. Arum arborescens L. Sp. PI. ed. 2. 371. 1763. Masica.
Occasional in tidal swamps of the North Coast, usually growing in shallow water; Izabal. British Honduras to Panama, Lesser Antilles,
Venezuela, and the Guianas. Figure 57.
Caudex as much as 3 meters high but usually lower, 1.5-2 cm. thick or toward the base much thicker, the internodes about 1 cm. long, smooth or slightly aculeolate petioles 20-30 cm. long, the sheath extending above the middle; blades 20-30 cm. long or often much larger, deeply sagittate, the basal lobes retrorse, triangular-lanceolate, acuminate, the anterior lobe triangular or ovate-triangular, short-cuspidate or obtuse, the primary costal nerves 3-4 on each side, united to form an obscure collective nerve close to the margin; peduncles half as long as the spathe; spathe oblong-ovate, cuspidate, 10-13 cm. long, 6-7 cm. wide, white; spadix very thick and stout, the staminate portion 7 cm. long, the pistillate part one-third as long; berries 1-1.5 cm. in diameter. The large white spathes are conspicuous and handsome, suggesting those of the cultivated calla (Zantedeschia). (pages 335 and 337). - n.d.
- Lista Prelimirar de las plantas de El Salvador.
Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott. GUACAMaY. Sonsonate p otras partes. Bejuco epifitico de frutas comestibles.
Downloadable Online:
www.redicces.org.sv/jspui/bitstream/10972/1558/1/Lista Preliminar de las Plantas.pdf - 2006
- Exploding pollen in Montrichardia arborescens (Araceae). Plant Systematics and Evolution volume 263, pages51–57
| ORDER | Alismatales |
| FAMILY | Araceae |
| SUBFAMILY | Aroideae |
| GENUS | Montrichardia |
| SPECIES | Montrichardia arborescenseae |
| COMMON NAME | Pica pica |
You can find more information about this plant in the following bibliography.
PDF, Articles, Books on Montriacardia arborescens
Suggested webpages with photos and information on Montriacardia arborescens
https://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/Aroideth.htm
Montrichardia arborescens is eaten in many areas of Tropical America, the seeds are 'cooked or toasted' each inflorescence containing about 80 seeds.
https://colombia.inaturalist.org/taxa/362191-Montrichardia-arborescens
Information and nice photos
www.invasive.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=55417&fam=37
Useful photos
www.jungledragon.com/image/87913/montrichardia_arborescens.html
Amazing photo and information about the edible uses.
www.naturalista.mx/taxa/362191-Montrichardia-arborescens
Photos and map distribution.
www.natureloveyou.sg/Montrichardia%20arborescens/Main.html
Useful photos.
www.thingsguyana.com/moco-moco-healing-plant-of-the-guianas/
Information and uses
http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-129694
Synonyms
www.tramil.net/es/plant/montrichardia-arborescens
Nice photos
https://tropilab.com/mokomoko.html
General information and photos
http://webserv.fq.edu.uy/tematres/index.php?tema=12520&/montrichardia-arborescens-l-schott
Plant uses
www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000245847;jsessionid=A1139D5591F7442B9E8A1A025A52BE69
General Information
First posted October, 2021
