All these plants are grown as annuals.
---------+-------------+---------+-------+-------+-------------+-------------
| | BI- OR | | | |
COMMON | SPECIES |PERENNIAL|PROPA- | GROWTH| EDIBLE PARTS| PRINCIPAL
NAME | NAME | GROWN AS| GATION| HABIT| & USES | NUTRIENTS
| | ANNUAL | | | |
---------+-------------+---------+-------+-------+-------------+-------------
Beet * |Beta vulgaris|Biennial |Seed |Herba- |Roots, Leaves|Roots: Low
| | | | ceous| cooked | in Nutrients
Carrot * |Daucus carota|Biennial |Seed |Herba- |Roots, Raw |High in
| | | | ceous| or Cooked | Vitamin A
Cassava |Manihot |Perennial|Stem |Bush |Tuberous Root|Starch
| esculenta | | | | Leaf, Cooked|
Dasheen |Colocasia |Perennial|Off- |Herba- |Corm, Cooked |Starch,
| esculenta | | shoot | ceous| | Vitamin C
Edible |Canna edulis |Perennial|Off- |Upright|Rhizome, |Starch
Canna * | | | shoot | Herba-| Cooked |
| | | | ceous | |
Jicama * |Pachyrrhizus |*Weak |Seed |Vining |Tuberous Root|Starch,
| erosus |Perennial| | | Cooked | Protein
Potato |Solanum |Perennial|Tuber |Herba- |Tuber, Cooked|Starch,
| tuberosum | |Cutting| ceous | | Vitamin C
Sweet |Ipomoea |Perennial|Stem, |Trail- |Vine tips and|Starch,
potato | batatas | |Cutting| ing | Tuberous | Vitamin C,
| | | | Vine | Root Cooked | Vitamin A
Tanier |Xanthosoma |Perennial|Off- |Herba- |Corm, Cooked | Starch
| spp. | | shoot | ceous | |
Taro |Colocasia |Perennial|Off- |Herba- |Corm, Cooked |Starch,
| esculenta | | shoot | ceous | | Vitamin C
Yam |Dioscorea |Perennial|Tuber |Climb- |Tubers,Cooked|Starch,
| spp. | |Cutting|ingVine| | Protein
---------+-------------+---------+-------+-------+-------------+------------
* Not a dietary staple.
----------+-----------------+-------------------------------+----------------
| | ADAPTATION |
COMMON | +-------+---------+-----+-------+ NEGATIVE
NAME | SPECIES NAME | | DAY- | | | FACTORS
| | TEMP | LENGTH |FLOOD|DROUGHT|
----------+-----------------+-------+---------+-----+-------+----------------
Beet |Beta vulgaris |Cool |Neutral | No | No |TemperateClimate
Carrot |Daucus carota |Cool to|Neutral | No | No |TemperateClimate
| | Warm | | | |
Cassava |Manihot esculenta|Hot |Short Day| No | No |Some Varieties
| | | | | | Poisonous
| | | | | | Untreated
Dasheen |Colocasia |Hot |Short Day| Some| No |
| esculenta | | | | |
Edible | Canna edulis |Hot |Neutral | Some| No |Poor Quality
Canna | | | | | | Vegetable
Jicama |achyrrhizus |Hot |Neutral | No | Some |Pods, Leaf
| erosus | | | | | Poisonous
Potato |Solanum tuberosum|Cool to|Neutral | No | No |Not Tropical
| | Warm | | | |
Sweet |Ipomea batatas |Hot |Mostly | No | No |Insect Problems
potato | | |Short Day| | |
Tanier |Xanthosoma spp. |Hot |Mostly | Some| No |Disease Problems
| | |Short Day| | |
Taro |Colocasia |Hot |Mostly | Yes | No |Needs Paddy
| esculenta | |Short Day| | | Culture
Yam |Dioscorea spp. |Hot |Mostly | Some| No |Very Seasonal
| | | Neutral | | |
----------+-----------------+-------+---------+-----+-------+----------------