This species is sometimes treated as Curculigo latifolia Dryand. ex W.T.Aiton. See http://plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:64157-1, accessed 11/01/2021

Common Name:

General Information

Molineria latifolia is a stemless, evergreen, perennial plant producing a cluster of leaves from the roots and growing around 30 - 100cm tall[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.It is sometimes cultivated as a fibre plant and is also widely grown as an ornamental in warm temperate to tropical areas[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Bangladesh, Andaman Islands, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Moist, shaded habitats[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the humid tropics, it can also be grown in the humid subtropics and in essentially frost-free, warm temperate areas[].
Requires a fertile, humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil[].Succeeds in semi-shade and also in deeper shade[].

Edible Uses

The fleshy fruits are edible[, ]. Eaten as an appetizer[]. The white to green fruit is around 10 - 25mm long[].
The fruits contain curculin, a sweet-tasting and taste-modifying protein which could be of potential use for the food industry[]. Curculin itself elicits a sweet taste (550 times sweeter than sucrose on a weight basis), which disappears rather rapidly after holding it in the mouth[]. Tasting a lemon (or ascorbic, citric or hydrochloric acid) afterwards then elicits a sweet, orange-like taste[]. This taste-modifying sensation lasts for about 10 minutes[].

Medicinal

All parts of the plant are used in folk medicine[].
The roots are boiled and the decoction is taken to boost energy or to treat stomach-ache are and bloody diarrhoe932].

The fruit is taken as an appetizer[]..

Other Uses

The leaves provide rather hard fibres which are, in contrast to cotton, very resistant to the warm humid climate[]. This durability is obviously caused by high resistance against fungi[]. The fibres are used to produce clothes and fishing nets[].
The leaves are soaked in water and beaten, which loosens tlie fibre, which is then prepared and woven into a very close cloth, known as 'Lamba'[].
The rolled leaves can be used as a string[].

The leaves are used to wrap fruits etc[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[].
Division of the rootstock[].
Offsets[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: a square has how many sides?