The giant taro was originally domesticated in the Philippines, but are known from wild specimens to early Austronesians in Taiwan. From the Philippines, they spread outwards to the rest of Maritime Southeast Asia and eastward to Oceania where it became one of the staple crops of Pacific Islanders.[5][6] They are one of the four main species of aroids (taros) cultivated by Austronesians primarily as a source of starch, the others being Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, Colocasia esculenta, and Cyrtosperma merkusii, each with multiple cultivated varieties. Their leaves and stems are also edible if cooked thoroughly, though this is rarely done for giant taro as it contains higher amounts of raphides which cause itching.[7][8]
The sap can irritate the skin due to the presence of needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate (known as raphides), but the plant is edible if cooked for a long time.[10] Plants harvested later[timeframe?] will have more raphides.[11]Alocasia species are commonly found in marketplaces in Samoa and Tonga and other parts of Polynesia. The varieties recognized in Tahiti are the Ape oa, haparu, maota, and uahea. The Hawaiian saying: ʻAi no i ka ʻape he maneʻo no ka nuku (The eater of ʻape will have an itchy mouth) means "there will be consequences for partaking of something bad".[12]
The giant heart-shaped leaves make impromptu umbrellas in tropical downpours.
123"Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
12Osmond, Meredith (1998). "Horticultural practices"(PDF). In Ross, Malcolm; Pawley, Andrew; Osmond, Meredith (eds.). The lexicon of Proto Oceanic: The culture and environment of ancestral Oceanic society. Vol.1: Material Culture. Pacific Linguistics. pp.115–142. doi:10.15144/PL-C152.115.
↑Susan Scott; Craig Thomas (2009). Poisonous Plants of Paradise: First Aid and Medical Treatment of Injuries from Hawaii's Plants. University of Hawaii Press.
↑Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p.69. ISBN0415927463.
↑Pukui, Mary Kawena (1986). 'Ōlelo No'eau, Hawaiian Proverbs and Sayings. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press.
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