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Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze
Synonym
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Chaitaea tacca
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Family
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Taccaceae
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Local name
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English- Bat plant
Malayalam- Vawvalchedi
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Flowering and fruiting
period
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August-October
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Distribution
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Indo-Malesia to Australia and Pacific
Islands
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Distribution in Kerala
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All Districts
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Habitat
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Grown as garden plant
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Endemic/Exotic
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Exotic
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Uses
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The raw tubers were eaten to treat
stomach ailments. Mixed with water and red clay, the plant was consumed to
treat diarrhoea and dysentery. This combination was also used to stop internal
haemorrhaging in the stomach and colon and applied to wounds to stop
bleeding.
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Key botanical characters: A perennial herb with tuberous rhizome
bearing one or two leaves erect to about 1 m high and an inflorescence 1–2 m;
requiring light friable salt-free soil in shade-free thickets and grass
savanna across the Region, Senegal to W Cameroons, and widespread.
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