Red Aroid
(Buk Daeng)

Red Aroid Other local names are Krataeng (Chantabury), Buk Erok (Northeast), Erod (Loei province).

Red Aroid is a favourite choice for cooking, its peeled leaves and flower stems are, twice or triple, boiled with young tamarind leaves to get rid of itchiness. Then cooked in various types of curry, of which bamboo shoot and mushroom can be added. As herbal medicine, its rootstock is used to cure abscess and suppuration.

General Characteristic

Perennial herbs, rootstock is a rhizome, which is round and rugged with roots. In rainy season, leaves' stem raise above ground. Leave stems are succulent, swollen, round as thumb size, 50-120 cm long; mixed of green, brown and black spots or strips. 2-3 more sub-leaf stems emerge at tip of main leaf stems. Leaves are combined, dual arranged, linear-lanceolate, 5-10 cm wide, 15-25 cm long, smooth and slightly wavy edge, dark green. Some leaves have scattered spots. Leaves’ stems are light green. Flower stems emerge from underground rhizomes, similarly to leaves’ stems. Flowers are white and terminal. Some types are light green with spadix at center. Fruits are round, green, 0.5-1.0 cm in diameter, and linearly arranged into 5-8 stick forms. Lobulate covering at the back. Fruits become red when ripe. Fast grown in sandy soil, preferably in slight shadow. Generally found in tropical forests in the northeast.

Flower

stems emerge from underground rhizomes, similarly to leaves' stems. Flowers are white and terminal. Some types are light green with spadix at center.

Fruits

are round, green, 0.5-1.0 cm in diameter, and linearly arranged into 5-8 stick forms. Lobulate covering at the back. Fruits become red when ripe. Fast grown in sandy soil, preferably in slight shadow. Generally found in tropical forests in the northeast.

Translator : Aketawan Manowongsa
1 November 2000