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
948 Issues in this Publication (Showing issues 3000 - 3000) Previous | Next
Bambusa tulda - Bengal Bamboo, Spineless Indian Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Rhizomes, Root
A thick walled tufted bamboo. It grows to about 20 m tall. It is almost un-branched near the base but branches higher up. The nodes are slightly thickened. The internodes are 40-65 cm long and 5-10 cm wide. They have a white ring around the node. They are grey-green at maturity. The culm sheath is 10-25 cm long and 15-25 cm wide. The leaves have leaf stalks. The leaves are 15-25 cm long and 2-4 cm wide. They are narrow and sword shaped. They are hairy underneath. Young shoots are green with yellow stripes. Plants may take 25-40 years to flower.
Bambusa tuldoides - Punting Pole Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A densely tufted bamboo. The culm or stem is erect but nodding at the tip. They grow 6-10 m tall. The stems are 3-5 cm across at the base. The young stems are covered with white wax. The internodes are 30-36 cm long. The lowest 1 or 2 nodes have a ring of grey silky hairs above the sheath scar. The stems branch from the nodes. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 10-18 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. Flowering can start at 50 years of age. In China clumps usually die after flowering but in other locations plants can remain alive.
Other names :
Bambu blenduk, Buddha's belly bamboo, Buloh balai, Hosp, Pa-ma-htan-wa, Verdant bamboo,
Synonyms :
Bambusa pallescens (Doell) Hack.;
Bambusa ventricosa McClure;
Bambusa longiflora W.T.Lin;
and several others
Bambusa vulgaris - Common Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
An erect clump forming spineless bamboo. It is a large bamboo with strong stalks used for buildings. The stalks can be 20 m tall and 5-10 cm across at the base. They are often not straight. The stalks can be green and glossy or yellow or yellow with green stripes. It very rarely flowers. The distinctive culm sheath (top of the leaf that is wrapped around the stalk) helps identify the plant. The culm sheath is triangular and 15-45 cm long by 20 cm wide. The edges are hairy. The leaf blade is 6-30 cm long by 1 -4 cm wide. The stems are smooth and usually yellow green and smaller than Kauayan-tinik
Calendula arvensis - Field Marigold
Edible portion: Flowers, Leaves
A herb. It is an annual plant. It grows 30 cm high and spreads 30 cm wide. In poor and dry areas it is smaller. The leaves are oblong and slightly downy. They do not have leaf stalks. The flowers are yellow or orange and 25 mm across. They grow singly at the ends of branches.
Cassia grandis - Coral shower, Horse Cassia
Edible Portion: Pod pulp
A semi-evergreen tree. It loses some of its leaves in the dry season. It grows 20-30 m high. It spreads 5 m wide. The leaves are glossy olive green. They have a fringe of hairs along the edge. The leaves are made up of 14-42 leaflets. The flowers are in upright panicles. These are 20 cm long. They are pink. The fruit are large swollen
Cephalostachyum pergracile - Tinwa Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Flavouring
A tufted bamboo. It loses its leaves during the year. The culm or stem is erect and the tip hangs over. It grows 7-30 m high. The stem is 2.5-7.5 cm across. The wall is very thin. It is a greenish white with hairs below the nodes. The internodes are 25-40 cm long. The nodes are slightly thickened. There are several branches from each of the higher nodes. The culm sheath is 10 -15 cm long by 15-20 cm wide. It is thick and leathery. It falls off. The leaf blade is narrow sword shaped and 10-35 cm long by 1.5-6 cm wide. They are rough on both surfaces. They are slightly hairy underneath
Common names : Tinwa Bamboo, Bhala bans, Dangi, Goekhang, Gulhang, Khaao laam, Khauz hlam, Latang, Luphul, Madang, Mai-pang, Mau-dang, Paung-thin-wa, Phai-kaolarm, Phai-khaolam, Pungsang, Tinwa, Wa-ciaw, Wootang,
Synonyms : Schizostachyum pergracile (Munro) Majumdar;
Dendrocalamus asper - Giant Bamboo, Sweet Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A very large densely tufted bamboo. It is a woody grass. It forms large groves. The culms or stems can be 20-30 m high. The clumps can spread 12-24 m wide. The stalks are 15-20 cm across. They are covered with fine velvety brown hairs when young. The internodes can be 10-20 cm long lower down and 30-50 cm long higher up. The nodes are swollen. The lowest nodes have many aerial roots. The nodes in the middle and higher have branches. The culm sheath is 20-40 cm long by 20-25 cm wide. The leaf blade is 30 cm long by 2.5 cm wide.
Dendrocalamus membranaceus - White Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo which forms an open clump. The culm or stem is very straight. It grows 20-24 m high. It is 6-10 cm across. It has a white powdery covering over it when young. It turns green on maturity. The internodes are 22-38 cm long. The lower node has aerial roots. There are branches from the nodes. The culm sheath is 30-50 cm long by 12-20 cm wide. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 12-25 cm long by 1.5-2.5 cm wide. It is thin and pale. It tapers to the tip. The flowering stalks are on leafless branches.
Dendrocalamus minor - Angel Mist Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 5-12 m tall. The culms are 6-8 cm wide. The internodes are green or yellow with green stripes. They are 30-45 cm long. The leaves are 10-25 cm long by 2-3 cm wide.
Gigantochloa atroviolacea - Giant Black Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It forms loose tufts. The stems are 12 m tall and 6-8 cm wide. The
