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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Fargesia spathacea - Giant Panda Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots, Seeds
A bamboo. It grows 2-4 m tall. The culms are 0.5-2 cm across. The internodes are 15-18 cm long. There are 9-14 branches at each node. There are 2 or 3 leaves at the last branch. The leaf blade is 6-10 cm long by 5-13 mm wide.
Gigantochloa atter - Sweet Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A tall bamboo. It grows 12-22 m high. It forms many tillers. It can be green or black. The stems are 5-10 cm across. The leaves are sword shaped and narrowed at the base. The side are unequal. They are 15-30 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. The flowering shoots have many branches. There are 5-15 spikelets in a group.
Gigantochloa hasskarliana - Pingit Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A slender bamboo. It has many tillers. It grows 6-10 m tall. The stems are thin and green. The tops are drooping. The nodes are swollen and have a ring of hairs around them. The joints are 35-50 cm long. The stems are 3-5 cm across. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped and have short stalks. The base is wedge shaped and they tape to the tip. They are 15-45 cm long by 2 -6 cm wide. The flowers are on top of leafy stalks.
Gigantochloa verticillata - Whorled Bamboo, Giant Stripy Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 20-40 m high. It forms many tillers. The stems can be 25 cm thick. They have drooping tops. They are light green and have yellow stripes. The leaves are broadly sword shaped. They are 13-45 cm long by 2-7 cm wide.
Himalayacalamus hookerianus - Himalayan Blue Bamboo
Edible Portion: Seeds, Cereal, Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 6 m tall. It grows in clumps and keeps growing from year to year. The stems are 5-9 m long and 2-4 cm wide. The internodes are 15-20 cm long. The culm sheaths are 30-40 cm long. The leaf blades are narrowly sword shaped and 15-30 cm long by 1-4 cm wide.
Indocalamus tessellatus - Large-Leaved Bamboo, Zong ye Zhu
Edible Portion: Leaves - Flavouring
A bamboo. It grows 1-2 m tall. The stems are 4-7 mm across. The internodes are 25 cm long. It has the largest leaves of any bamboo. They can be 20-60 cm long and 10 cm wide.
Lactuca sativa var. augustana - Celtuce, Asparagus Lettuce, Chinese Lettuce
Edible Portion: Stalk, Leaves, Vegetable
A lettuce plant with an edible stalk. It is an annual plant. It develops a stem 3-4 cm thick and 30 cm tall. The seed stalk is eaten like celery or cooked. The leaves are curled. There are several cultivated varieties.
Yushania maculata - Maculata Bamboo
Edible Portion: Shoots
A bamboo. It grows 4-6 m tall. The stems are 1-1.5 cm across. The internodes are 30-40 cm long. The leaves are narrow or sword shaped and 9-15 cm long and 1 cm wide.
Melocalamus compactiflorus - Bangladesh Scrambling Bamboo, Climbing Bamboo
Edible Portion: Seeds, Shoots
A bamboo or rattan. It forms clumps and is scrambling. It grows 10-15 m tall or longer. The stalks are slightly zigzag shaped and 1.5 cm across. The internodes are 20-30 cm long. The leaves are sword shaped. The flowering shoots are large. The seeds are large and mealy.
Melocanna baccifera - Berry Bamboo, Mali Bamboo
Edible Portion: Fruit, Seeds, Cereal, Shoots
An evergreen bamboo. The culms are single and spread 60 cm apart. They come from a long creeping rhizome. They are bright green and 8-15 m long by 4-6 cm wide. The internodes are 30-50 cm long. The walls are thin. They are about 6 mm thick. The culm sheath is 13-18 cm long. The blade is long and narrow and tapers to the tip. It is 30 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The flowers droop. There are branches along one side with clusters of 3-4 spikelets. These are 1.2 cm long and spiny. The fruit are 10 cm long by 7.5 cm wide. They are fleshy and pear shaped. There is a curved beak at the end. There can be 8-10 fruit in a cluster around each node. Flowering occurs at intervals of about 30 years.
