Some 3 billion people in the world live outside the cash economy in the world’s poorest nations. Food security and regular supply are their daily concerns. Chronic malnutrition is a leading cause of death and disease for them. Young children are amongst the most affected. One child every 5-10 seconds dies from undernutrition. Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness for someone every minute. Most people in tropical and subtropical countries are iron deficient.
Our goal is to provide information that enables people to choose the right plant for their environment, to give them stable food production and a greater choice of plants to enrich their diets and improve their nutritional wellbeing.
The plant fact sheets listed in this collection are only a small portion of those available from FPI. Please check your plant inquiries in the ECHO Search and reference the FPI plant database for further information.
Most of the plants selected to list here are further described in country-specific publications by Food Plant Solutions (FPS in the Search).
8000 Starchy Staples
7000 Legumes
6000 Leafy Greens
5000 Fruits
4000 Vegetables
3000 Nuts, Seeds, Herbs, and other foods
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Ficus vasculosa
Edible: Leaves, Vegetable
A fig. It is a tree. It grows 15-44 m tall. The stem has white sap. The leaves are alternate and simple. The fruit are 8 mm across. They are round and on the twigs.
It is a tropical plant. It grows in rain forest up to 1,400 m above sea level. It grows on sandy soils. In XTBG Yunnan.
Common Names: Pahugai, Pak de gai, Pohon ara vaskula, Shan tian cai, Tu mai rong
Synonyms:
Ficus championii Benth.;
Ficus renitens Miq.;
Ficus variabilis Miq.;
Ficus variabilis var. integrifolia Miq.;
Ficus vasculosa var. acuminata Miq.;
Ficus superba
Edible: Leaves, Fruit
A large fig. It loses its leaves for a short time. It has some aerial roots. It grows 6-21 m high and spreads 10-18 m wide. The young leaves are pink. They become mid green. The leaves grow to 25 cm long. The figs are dull purple. They are 18 mm across. They are clustered on short stalks.
A tropical plant. The variety japonica occurs in China. It grows on plains or in villages near the sea coast in S China. It grows from 100-1400 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Geelong Botanical Gardens.
Common Names: Hua li rong, Lieb, Pohon ara jerakah bulu, Pohon ara superba
Ficus sycomorus
Edible: Fruit, Leaves, Vegetable, Bark, Gum
A fig. It is a deciduous tree. It grows to 13-25 m high and spreads to 14 m across. It has a rounded crown. The stem is erect. Sometimes the stem has buttresses. The base of the tree commonly spreads over the ground. The bark is yellowish. The leaves are olive green, oval or almost round. They are 5-12 cm long and 3-10 cm wide. The leaves are rough and leathery. They are hairy. The edge of the leaf is wavy and roughly toothed. The leaf stalk is 3 cm long. In dry seasons the tree may lose its leaves. The flowers are 2 cm across and roundish. The fruit are small and edible. They are 3 cm across. They grow in dense clusters in the axils of leaves or on main branches and on the trunk. The fruit are yellow-red when ripe.
A tropical plant. They will grow on most soils. Soils need to be well drained. They prefer a sunny open position. It is drought and frost resistant. It is probably damaged by frost when in leaf. It can grow in hot and arid regions. It grows well near rivers. In Africa trees are commonly near rivers in dry regions. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 200-1,800 mm. It can grow in salty soils. It can grow in arid places. It grows in Miombo woodland in Africa. It grows in the Sahel. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
Common Names: Asses fig, Atielowinyo, Bamba, Barde, Bobi, Daray, Ebobore, Ebwalai, Ecalawinyo, Egyptian sycamore, Ejinga, Emidit, Engop, Eta, Figueira-branca, Fuqa, Ganyaya, Gomeiz, Harbu, Hillteta, Ibbi debbi, Ikuku, Ingaboli, Kajare, Kankanga, Katjere, Le'a, Mochaba, Mbuyo, Mkuu, Mkuwa, Mkuyu, Mochaba, Mogoboya, Msoho, Msombe, Mtsombe, Muhuyalukuse, Muhuyuvhuwa, Mukankanwa, Mukuiu, Mukumyu, Mukunyu, Mukuyu, Mulberry fig, Muonde, Mutole, Nkuwa, Nomas, Nshembe, Oda, Odaa, Olam, Ol-gnagboli, Omukwiyu, Orng'aboli, Ourof, Pharoah's fig, Saqam, Saqum, Shafa, Shola, Sou toro, Subula, Suqmi, Sycamore in the Bible, Trosvy, Umkhiwa, Wokoyo, Wola, Wuuri
Synonyms:
Ficus gnaphalocarpa (Miq.) A Rich.;
Ficus damarensis Engl.;
Ficus mucuso Welw. ex Ficalho;
Ficus trachyphylla Fenzl.;
and several others
Ficus tinctoria
Edible: Fruit, Leaves
A fig. It is a small tree or shrub 2-4 m high. It can climb and scramble over other plants and be up to 10 m high. The small branches are rough. The small branchlets are yellow or pale brown. The bark is grey or brown and cracked or flaky. The leafy structure at the base of the leaves is sword shaped and 5-10 mm long and thick. The leaves of the tree are yellowish with purple veins and short leaf stalks. The leaves are 4-13 cm long and 2-6 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 0.6-1 cm long. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants. The figs are in the leaf axils and up to 2 cm across and orange coloured. There are some varieties described based on the size of the plant and the size of the figs.
A tropical plant. Trees are common on limestone or coral rocks near the sea shore. It tends to be on coral soils. In the Pacific it grows from sea level to 750 m altitude.
Common Names: Awal, Awan, Awann, Awen, Coain, Felo, Gawal, Guwan, Gawann, Hawan, Hmei-thai-thei, Hoda, Hodda, Hotda, Howel, Kiro kesik, Mai-hai-sa-pye, Mati, Mok, Nihn, Nin, Nunu, Nyaung-thabye, Oseked, Oseched, Savirewa, Srah, Tagete, Topdo, Te bero, Topodo, 'U'apea, Wach'guy, Wachaguy, Xie ye rong
Synonyms:
Ficus chlorosykon Rechinger;
Ficus validinervis Benth.
Ficus variegata
Edible: Leaves, Fruit, Sap
A fig. It is a medium sized buttressed tree up to 7-18 m high. The trunk varies in length and can be 20-30 cm across. Trees can be larger. The bark is characteristically brown and smooth. It is thick with an abundance of latex. The young shoots are pale green. The leaves are broad and oval and leathery, shiny and smooth. They are 14-20 cm long and 8-12 cm wide. The base of the leaves is rounded and heart shaped. The leaf stalks are 3 to 8 cm long and brown. The leaf like structures (stipules) at the base of the leaf stalks are 1-1.5 cm long, smooth and pinkish. Swollen structures are found along the larger limbs. Red figs with white spots are produced on the trunk and larger branches. The fruit is round and smooth and turns deep yellow when mature. The fruit are 3-4 cm across. Trees may bear thousands of fruit which are eaten by birds. Named varieties occur based on the colour of the fruit. The fruit are edible.
A tropical plant. They occur in the Philippines in lower forested regions from Luzon to the provinces of Mindanao. In Australia they are in the tropical rainforests and in coastal districts. Trees demand humidity and light. They are often on well drained soils at the edge of the rainforest. It grows in valleys at low and middle altitudes in S China. In Indonesia trees grow up to 1,500 m altitude. In XTBG Yunnan.
Common Names: Ara kelepong, Ara kelumpong, Ayak, Common red-stem fig, Ghundhang, Gondang, Kanjilu, Kara, Kendang, Kelo, Kondang, Ngoa rung, Nyawai, Phuuk, Pohon ara merabiasa, Tandilan, Tangisang-bayauak, Tentabau, Va rung, Za se rong
Synonyms:
Covellia racemifera (Roxb.) Miq.;
Ficus agusanensis Elmer;
Ficus amboinensis Kostel.;
Ficus cerifera Blume ex Bleekrode;
Ficus ceriflua Jungh.;
Ficus chlorocarpa Benth.;
Ficus compressitora Elmer;
Ficus cordifolia Blume;
Ficus ehretioides F.Muell. ex Benth.;
Ficus garciae Elmer;
Ficus glochidiifolia Hayata;
Ficus gummiflua (Miq.) Miq. ex Jungh.;
Ficus ilangoides Elmer;
Ficus integrifolia Elmer;
Ficus konishii Hayata;
Ficus laevigata Blanco;
Ficus latsoni Elmer;
Ficus paucinervia Merr.;
Ficus polysyce Ridl.;
Ficus racemifera Roxb.;
Ficus subopaca Miq.;
Ficus subracemosa Blume;
Ficus sum Gagnep.;
Ficus sycomoroides Miq.;
Ficus tenimbrensis S. Moore;
Ficus variegata var. chlorocarpa (Benth.) King;
Ficus variegata var. garciae (Elmer) Corner;
Ficus variegata var. ilangoides (Elmer) Corner;
Ficus variegata var. paucinervia (Merr.) Sata;
Ficus variegata var. pilosior Miq.;
Ficus variegata var. rotundata Sata;
Ficus variegata var. sycomoroides (Miq.) Corner;
Ficus viridicarpa Corner;
Sycomorus capensis forma tropica Miq.;
Sycomorus gummiflua Miq.;
Urostigma javanicum Miq.;
Colocasia esculenta - Taro
Edible Portion: Corm, Leaves, Stalks, Vegetable, Root, Flowers
This plant has large flat leaves on the end of upright leaf stalks. It grows up to 1 m high. The leaf stalk or petiole joins the leaf towards the centre of the leaf. The leaves are 20-50 cm long. Near the ground a thickened rounded corm is produced. Around this plant their is normally a ring of small plants called suckers. Many different varieties occur. If left to maturity, a lily type flower is produced in the centre of the plant. It has a spathe 15-30 cm long which is rolled inwards. The flowers are yellow and fused along the stalk. There are many named cultivated varieties.
Taro comes in two basic forms. The Dasheen type Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta and Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum or the Eddoe type. The basic difference is the adaptation of the Eddoe type to storage and survival in seasonally dry places, while the dasheen type needs to be maintained in a more or less continuously growing vegetative stage. These are now recognised as separate species names.
Dactyloctenium aegyptium - Comb Fringe Grass
Edible Portion: Seeds, Cereal, Rhizome, Root
An annual grass. The stems are slender. They can lie along the ground. These can form roots at the nodes. They can have runners and form mats. It is 15-60 cm high. The edges of the leaf sheaths have small hairs. The leaf blades are flat and 5-20 cm long by 0.2-0.6 cm wide. The surfaces are lumpy/hairy. It tapers to the tip. The flowers spread like fingers on a hand. There are 2-9 flower stalks. They are long and narrow. They often spread out horizontally. The spikes are on one side of the stalk. The tip is bare. The seed grains are about 1 mm across.
Hordeum vulgare - Barley
Edible Portion: Seeds, Cereal, Seeds - Tea
An erect annual grass. It grows 80-120 cm tall. The nodes are solid and the internodes are hollow. The leaves are narrow. There are 5-10 leaves. They are produced alternately on opposite sides of the stem at the nodes. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped and 5-40 cm long by 0.5-1.5 cm wide. The flowers are greenish. Flowers have long awns. The fruit is a grain. It is oval and narrow. There are a range of named cultivated varieties.
Ipomoea batatas - Sweet Potato
Edible Portion: Tuber, Root, Leaves, Vegetable
This is a root crop which produces long creeping vines. The leaves are carried singly along the vine. Leaves can vary considerably from divided like fingers on a hand to being entire and rounded or heart shaped. At the end of the vine, trumpet shaped flowers grow. They are purple. Under the ground fattened tubers are produced. There are a large number of varieties which vary in leaf shape and colour, tuber shape, colour, texture and in several other ways.
Manihot esculenta - Cassava
Edible Portion: Root, Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable
A plant which can re-grow year after year from the thickened roots. It has several stems. The stems are woody and have some branches. Plants grow up to 2 or 3 metres high. Stalks have distinct scars where leaves have fallen. The leaves tend to be near the ends of branches. The leaves are divided like the fingers on a hand. The leaves have long leaf stalks. The leaves have 3-7 long lobes which can be 20 cm long. These are widest about 1/3 of the distance from the tip and taper towards the base. The colour varies. It produces several long tubers. These can be 50 cm long by 10 cm across. The flowers are on short stalks around a central stalk. They are produced near the ends of branches. The female flowers are near the base of the flower stalk and the male flowers higher up.
