Alocasia cucullata (Chinese taro).

Alocasia cucullata is a clumping evergreen herbaceous plant that is grown as a food plant and as an ornamental in areas within and outside its native distribution range of tropical and temperate Asia. This species spreads by seed and vegetatively by root suckers, rhizomes and corm fragments. It is listed as invasive in Cuba, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Micronesia and French Polynesia. It is also listed in the Global Compendium of Weeds. A. cucullata is considered an invasive species with the potential to colonize and become naturalized in the understorey of rainforests and moist areas along streams and riverbanks.

The importance of nutritive parameters in the taxonomy of some corm-producing members of the family Araceae

This work gives detailed information of the proximate, phytochemical, Vitamin C and mineral constituents of the leaves and corms of members of family Araceae from genera Alocasia, Colocasia and Xanthosoma with the aim of promoting the use of these genera as food and solving some taxonomic problems. X-Ray Fluorescence was employed in determining the mineral constituents while other parameters were determined following standard methods. The result revealed high carbohydrate and moisture contents in all the taxa. The highest saponin and tannin contents were encountered in the leaves and corms of Xanthosoma saggitifolium. The leaves of the Xanthosoma taxa are rich in Vitamin C. Bulk, essential and non-essential elements were detected in all the taxa. They all had high potassium and calcium contents in their leaves and corms except in Colocasia esculentum var. esculentum where potassium was not detected in the leaves. Chromium was not detected in the leaves of Xanthosoma saggitifolium. Arsenic, Bromine and Rubidium were not detected in the leaves of Alocasia macrorrhiza, Alocasia plumbea, Xanthosoma mafaffa (Red) and Xanthosoma saggitifolium. Titanium was not detected in the leaves of the Colocasia and Xanthosoma varieties and the corms of Alocasia cucullata, Alocasia plumbea, Colocasia esculentum var. esculentum, Xanthosoma mafaffa (Red) and Xanthosoma saggitifolium. The use of nutritive parameters and phytochemicals in the taxonomy of the Araceae taxa was discussed.