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
801 Issues in this Publication (Showing issues 8000 - 8000) Previous | Next
Chloothamnus elatus - Bamboo, New Guinea Edible Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A large bamboo with stalks 20 m long and 5 -6 cm across. The leaves are fine and narrow. It produces large clumps.
Dendrocalamus brandisii - Brandisii Bamboo, Velvet Leaf Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A loosely tufted bamboo. The culm is erect and the tip hangs over. The stem or culm can be 30 m high. They are 15-20 cm across at the base. The wall is 2.5-4 cm thick. They are greenish-grey. The internodes are 30-60 cm long. There is a shiny brown line of hairs below and above the node. The nodes are slightly swollen. There are aerial roots in the lower nodes. There can be branches from the middle of the culm. The culm sheath is 40-60 cm long by 20-35 cm wide. It is longer than the internodes. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 20-30 cm long by 2.5-5 cm wide. It is pale green on the upper surface.
Dendrocalamus giganteus - Giant Bamboo, Dragon Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A clump forming bamboo. It can be 25-30-50 m tall. It has rhizomes which spread. The clumps can be 10-15 m wide. The canes can be 35 cm across. They are erect and jointed. The nodes are hairy. The leaf blades are sword shaped and smooth with fine teeth along the edge. The leaves can be 55 cm long. These clasp the canes at their base. The flower is a long panicle which droops.
Dendrocalamus hamiltonii - Tufted Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows to 25 m tall. It forms dense thickets. The stems are 7-12 cm across. The stems are curved downwards and the nodes are marked with root scars. The internodes are 20-40 cm long. The stem sheath is triangular. The leaves are narrow and sword shaped. They have small teeth along the edge. The leaves are rough underneath. The leaf sheaths have stiff hairs. The flower is reddish brown. The fruit is a grain which is oval and beaked. It flowers both annually and gregariously after 30 years.
Dendrocalamus latiflorus - Sweet Bamboo Shoot, Taiwan Giant Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Vegetable
A tufted bamboo plant. It grows 20-50 m tall. The stems are long and bend. They are 10-30 cm across. The segments are 45 -60 cm apart. The leaves are 6-15 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. The flowers are small. They are 12-15 mm across. They are feathery and red or purple in colour.
Dendrocalamus sikkimensis - Philippines Sweet Bamboo Shoot
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 10-18 m tall. The culms are 10-13 cm across. The internodes are orange and 46056 cm long. There are several branches. The leaves are 15-30 cm long by 4-7 cm wide.
Dendrocalamus sinicus - Giant Dragon Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Vegetable
A bamboo. It grows 20-30 m tall and the culms are 20-30 cm across. The internodes are 17-22 cm long. The leaf blade is 20-40 cm long by 4-7 cm wide.
Dendrocalamus strictus - Male Bamboo, Calcutta stricta
Edible Portion: Seeds, Leaves, Shoots, Cereal, Manna, Rhizaome, Root
Dendrocalamus tibeticus - Tibetan Male Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 15-25 m high. The culms are 12-18 cm across. The nodes are 40-45 cm long and green. The leaf sheaths are 6-11 cm long and the leaf blade is 10-32 cm long by 2-5 cm wide.
