Botany
Palauan has the habit of Alocasia macrorrhiza, growing in dense clumps, a large plant with a very stout trunk. Leaves are very big, hastate, up to 1.5 meters in length. Petioles are large and stout, up to 2.5 m long and 10 cm in diameter. Spathe is 30 to 60 cm long and oblong. Spadix is cylindric, about 15 cm long, 2 to 3 cm wide. Seeds are globose and about 5 mm wide.

Distribution
- In ravines along streams in Luzon (Sorsogon), Mindoro, Samar, Leyte, Palawan and Mindanao.
- In some regions, purposely planted for its edible corms or as an ornamental.
- Occurs in Java and Borneo to New Guinea.

Constituents
- Contains 62.61% moisture, 1.05% ash, 0.81% protein, 0.09% fat (ether extract), 33.87% carbohydrate, and 1.57% crude fiber providing 1,430 calories per kilo.
- Study reports the rootstock to contain 0.5% starch.

Properties
Emmenagogue, ecbolic.

Parts used
Spadix.

Uses
Edibility
Large rootstocks are eaten when food is scarce.
Roots require hours of cooking to reduce toxicity in the corms.
In some regions, it is staple food, an important source of carbohydrates.
Folkloric
Of limited medicinal use.
Decoction of spadix used as emmenagogue and ecbolic.

Studies
• Studies: Studies

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Pulaka / Cyrtosperma merkusii / Swamp taro / Wikipedia