Common Name:

General Information

Curcuma mangga is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing clumps of erect pseudostems 30 - 110cm long from a branched rhizome. Each pseudostem is comprised of 5 - 7 leaves with blades ranging in size from 16 - 60cm long and 7 - 15cm wide[, ].
A popular vegetable in southeast Asia, the plant also has medicinal properties. It is often cultivated as a food crop in Thailand, peninsular Malaysia and Java[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia, in Java only.

Habitat

Not known in the wild

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, where it is cultivated at elevations up to 1,000 metres[].
Requires a humus-rich, very fertile soil for best growth[]. Plants in this genus generaly prefer a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in partial shade[].

Edible Uses

Young shoots - raw or boiled[, ].

Rhizomes - cooked[]. The tender, white tips of the rhizomes are eaten raw or boiled[]. Slices of young rhizomes are cooked with coconut milk and chilli paste[, ]. The rhizome is pale dull yellowish on the outside, although new growth is white; the inside is pale lemon or sulphur yellow; it smells of carrots and has a taste like a carrotty mango[].

Flower clusters - cooked[]. They can be steamed and eaten with rice, or used in stews[, ].

Medicinal

The rhizomes have an aroma somewhat like mango fruits[]. They are chewed to cause the womb to contract after childbirth[]. They are part of a mixture that is given in the treatment of continued fever[].
The starch from the rhizomes is recommended by traditional healers as a treatment for abdominal illness[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[]. Germinates best at temperatures around 20°c[].
Division of the rhizome when the plant is dormant.

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