User:Naŋar/Koorka

Plectranthus rotundifolius or Solenostemon rotundifolius, called Chinese potato in Indian English and often referred to as native potato or country potato in Africa, is a perennial herbaceous plant, of the  mint family (Lamiaceae), native to tropical Africa, cultivated in parts of West Africa, South Africa, Madagascar, South Asia and Southeast Asia for its edible tubers. Wild varieties are found in the grasslands of East Africa.

It is one of three species of the mint family that produce edible tubers and closely related to the flowering coleus plants familiar to many gardeners outside of these regions as ornamentals. All three of these species are native to Africa and members of the genus Plectranthus (sometimes classified as members of the genus Solenostemon and formerly classified as part of the now defunct genus Coleus). The others are Plectranthus esculentus and Plectranthus edulis, native to southern Africa and Ethiopia respectively. P. rotundifolius is the only one of these tubers whose cultivation has spread beyond the continent of Africa.

Description


P. rotundifolius is a erect low-growing semi-succulent bushy plant, with foliage reaching a height of about 30 cm (1 ft). It has serrated or oval leaves growing in opposite pairs on succulent square-sectioned stems which branch out from the base of the plant. Alternating pairs of leaves grow at right angles to each other. Its small blue, purple or pale violet, pinkish white hermaphroditic flowers grow in terminal racemes, or false spikes, above the main body of the foliage. The stems and racemes of most varieties are green, but those of some varieties are brownish green or purple. The leaves of some varieties have a variegated pattern of ___ pigmentation

The tubers are are generally oblong or oval shaped and run around 5 cm (2 in) long. The tubers generally have dark grey or greyish brown skin and white or cream-colored flesh. However, varieties with red or cream-colored skin and deeper reddish-yellow, dark brown, light grey or reddish-purple flesh also cultivated in Africa, and there is considerable variation in the size and shape of the tubers.

The flowers of the cultivated varieties produce few or no seeds.

The greatest variety of cultivars is found in West Africa. The tubers of South Asian varieties are generally somewhat larger than those grown in Africa.

The tubers are small ranging from

"Flesh colour was white in all skin types. However, according to the literature, reddish yellow, dark brown and light grey flesh colours also have been reported (Burkill, 1995)."

"Hausa potato is an erect, semi-succulent annual herb. It is bushy from the base, up to 30 cm tall, prostrate or ascending, and has a succulent stem and somewhat thick leaves (Plate 12)." "It has small flowers, which are blue, pinkish white or pale violet in a distal inflorescence. The flowers are hermaphroditic, produced on an elongated terminal raceme. Small tubers are produced in clusters at the base of the stem." p.60

Elizabeth Acheampong, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

in Quality declared planting material: Protocols and standards for vegetatively propagated crops, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2010

www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1195e/i1195e00.pdf

Burkill, H.M., 1995, The Useful Plants of Tropical West Africa, J-L, vol. 3, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Cultivation
P. rotundifolius is tolerant of high temperatures and heavy rain-fall and prefers well-drained, loose or sandy soil and direct sunlight. It produces less well in the shade or dense clayey soil. In dry conditions, the plants may fail to produce tubers. In wet conditions, the tubers are prone to branching, making them more difficult to peel.

The tubers are usually planted in mounds or in raised beds separated by ditches to allow water to drain off in heavy rains. The foliage crowds out other plants, so weeding is usually not required. The tubers are harvested about four to five months after planting, after the plants have flowered and the aerial parts have died back.

Cultivation of P. rotundifolius was once widespread in western and southwestern Africa. Cultivation there is now limited to Burkina Faso, northern Ghana, the Jos Plateau region of Nigeria, parts of southeastern Mali and parts of South Africa. In South Asia, P. rotundifolius it is mostly grown in Sri Lanka and the South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is also cultivated in Madagascar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

In most areas where it is grown, Plectranthus rotundifolius is a garden or subsistence crop, raised for personal and family consumption and available seasonally at local markets. There is some commercial production in South India, and packaged frozen tubers are available.

Culinary Uses
P. rotundifolius tubers have a somewhat sweet taste and a fragrant aroma when cooked. The taste has been compared to sweet potatoes, parsnip and Irish potatoes. Peeling the tubers is tedious

In both West Africa and South India, P. rotundifolius tubers are most commonly pealed, diced, and boiled, and prepared as a spiced vegetable dish to accompany staples such as rice, naan or yam. The tubers can be used as base for a variety South Indian vegetable dishes, such as thoran, mezhukkupuratti, ularthiyathu, erisseri, sukke, upkari and humman.

The tubers can also be roasted and eaten whole as a snack food, a preparation common in parts of West Africa. In Burkina Faso, a stew made from diced P. rotundifolius tubers combined with meat, tomatoes, and other vegetables is popular and served as a main course. A porridge made from the tubers is sometimes served as a breakfast food in northern Ghana. A variety grown in the Jos Plateau region of Nigeria can also be eaten raw.

Medicinal Uses
In both India and Africa, a preparation of its boiled leaves is used as a home remedy for dysentery.

History
Cultivation in Africa today is mostly limited to Burkina Faso, eastern Mali, northern Ghana, the Jos plateau region of Nigeria, and South Africa, though it was once much more widespread. In India, it is grown mostly in Kerala, Karnataka and southern Tamil Nadu. It is also grown in Sri Lanka, Madagascar. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

zip
Cultivars of P. rotundifolius are clonal crops dependent on human intervention for propagation. The plants produce flowers, but usually no seeds. They depend on farmers replanting tubers, sections of tubers or stem cuttings to reproduce. Vegetative reproduction

"still found in the wild in East Africa." - PROTA

In English, the plant has sometimes been called Chinese potato, Coleus potato, Hausa potato, or Fra-Fra potato. It is also referred to as "native potato" and "country potato" (though the latter terms can also refer to other root crops Plectranthus esculentus and Plectranthus edulis ).

The tubers are oval-shaped and smaller than commercial potatoes. They are usually cooked by boiling, but, like potatoes, are also baked and fried. The taste is fairly bland and has been compared to sweet potato or parsnip.

from Lost Crops
They are members of the mint family. This 3,000-member family graces human existence with numerous herbs and fragrances, including lavender, mint, spearmint, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, basil, and majoram, but no major root crops. Indeed, Africa’s native potatoes are the only mints producing human food below ground. (p.270)

rotundifolius) is traditionally produced primarily in West Africa while the other (Plectranthus esculentus) is a resource primarily of Southern and East Africa. S. rotundifolius is also cultivated in parts of Asia—notably India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Its fellow species, as far as can be ascertained, is unknown as a crop beyond Africa’s shores. (p. 271)

The “northern” species (S. rotundifolius) is most often referred to as Hausa potato, Sudan potato, Zulu round potato, fabourama, and frafra potato. (271)

Smaller than the modern commercial potato, the tubers of S. rotundifolius are small and oval shaped (271)

The tubers of both crops are mostly boiled, but they can also be roasted, baked, or fried. (271)

The tubers are mostly eaten as cooked vegetables. Like potatoes, they may be boiled, baked, or fried. However, one northern Nigerian type (a form of S. rotundifolius said to be distinguished by dark leaves) has tubers that can be eaten raw (275)

Flour milled from dried native potato (S. rotundifolius, there known as fabourama) is already produced in Burkina Faso, and it is reportedly turned into popular breakfast gruels. (271)

the leaves of the plant are aromatic, but the tubers are neither fragrant nor flavorful. The tubers of P. esculentus have the kind of blandness that is preferred in a staple. The tubers of S. rotundifolius are much sweeter, by comparison. Indeed, people are attracted to them for this very quality. Some liken the taste to sweet potato or parsnip. (p. 271 - 272)

native potato is exclusively a smallholder crop. Indeed, it is almost exclusively a women’s crop. ... The tubers, overwhelmingly employed as subsistence food, make versatile family fare. They are good as a food-security insurance policy. They can, for example, be dried and put away for use during times of shortage. Although native potato is not a cash crop in the modern sense, part of the harvest is commonly put up for sale in the villages. (272)

A standard serving provides a large percentage of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin A (in the form of β-carotene), as well as more than the daily complement of iron. The tubers contain 5-13 percent protein (calculated on a dry weight basis), or up to twice the amount found in potatoes (5 percent). [which plant?] The food-energy content is good as well—almost 400 calories per 100g dry matter in S. rotundifolius tuber. (272)

The literature has so far provided few nutritional details from which to draw conclusions. One early report recorded a S. rotundifolius tuber sample as being 76 percent moisture. Its dry matter consisted of 91 percent carbohydrate, 5 percent crude protein, 4 percent fiber, 4 percent ash, and 1 percent fat. The nutritional energy was 392 calories per 100g.8 (8 This sample was from the West African type called “Hausa potato.” Leung, W. 1968. Food Composition Table for Use in Africa. FAO. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Bethesda, Maryland.)

The recorded yields are ... per hectare ... 15 tons per hectare for S. rotundifolius. (272)

In many locations this is another age-old resource that is dwindling toward obsolescence. And in Chad, where it is known as ngaboyo, it is said to be facing outright extinction. (273)

Tolerance to high temperature and rainfall is a feature of S. rotundifolius, which is widely (if thinly and irregularly) spread across Africa’s tropical lowlands. (274)

(both plants): Propagation is by tubers, setts, stem-cuttings, or suckers sliced from sprouted tubers. However, the standard planting method is using tubers or portions of tubers. At the beginning of the wet season these are planted into mounds, ridges, or rows on prepared beds. (276)

As in potatoes, piling earth around the base of the plants as they grow encourages greater tuber development.(276)

Depending on the place and the plant, the tubers are ready for harvesting after 120-200 days. In the case of S. rotundifolius all the aerial parts have by then flowered and died back. (276-7)

In the case of S. rotundifolius, the large and medium sized tubers are eaten, and the small ones used to establish the new crop. (280)

... there are odd and unconfirmed reports of the young shoots and leaves being used as boiled vegetables. (280) An interesting possibility is that the foliage might prove useful as a flavoring or fragrance. It is now a waste product (281)

P. esculentus
The “southern” species (P. esculentus) is most notably referred to as Livingstone potato, Madagascar potato, and scrambled eggs. (271)

[The tubers] of P. esculentus are longer and thinner, extending from the bunch at the base of the plant like fingers. (271)

The tubers of both crops are mostly boiled, but they can also be roasted, baked, or fried. (271)

The flavor ... of P. esculentus as served in South Africa, is described as “quite a pleasant minty taste.” (271)

the protein of P. esculentus is well endowed with essential amino acids (threonine, tyrosine, methionine, valine, leucine, lysine, etc.)5 A serving thus contributes a fair portion of the daily protein requirement. 5) Allemann, J., 2002. Evaluation of Plectranthus esculentus N.E.Br. as a potential vegetable crop. PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.

Recent studies on the nutritional value of P. esculentus in South Africa recorded (on a dry-weight basis): 81 percent carbohydrate, 13.5 percent crude protein, 4 percent ash, and 1 percent fat. In addition, the tuber material contained (in mg per 100g of plant material): vitamin A (0.2), thiamin (0.04), riboflavin (0.06), vitamin B-6 (0.3), phosphorus (337), potassium (1,721), calcium (140), magnesium (327), zinc (3.5), copper (1), manganese (1.4), sodium (73), and iron (50).9 9) Allemann, op. cit. Figures are in grams per 100g plant material and are measured on a dry-weight basis.

Picture of P. esculentus (274)

P. esculentus prefers dryer conditions but is also in moist regions parts of South and East Africa.(274)

P. esculentus produces reasonable yields in South Africa with annual rainfall as low as 450mm, although the rain must be well distributed through the season for the plants to produce under such parched conditions. (275)

The recorded yields are 4 to 7 tons per hectare for P. esculentus (272)

P. esculentus, on the other hand, does not flower at the end of the summer growing season. Instead, it drops its leaves and goes into a dormant phase during the winter. With the warmth of spring, flowers pop out of the leafless stems, after which these stems die back and new fresh growth emerges from the tubers underground. For this reason, the plant is seldom seen to flower when cultivated. (277)

The standard method of propagating P. esculentus involves planting portions of the tubers, (280)

Names
This list is from Lost Crops p. 282, It does not distinguish between P. esculentus and S. rotundifolius, and contains errors. I'm not using these with out checking them.

Afrikaans: Wilde aartappel

Burkina Faso: fabourama


 * // fabirama // Le fabirama en dioula, ou peinssa en mooré

Mali: fabourama

English: Livingstone potato, wild potato, country potato, Hausa potato, Madagascar potato, coleus potato, Sudan potato, scrambled eggs, Zulu round potato (S. rotundifolius), elongated native potato, Swedish begonia


 * // salanga // salaga

French: Madagascar potato

Ghana: fra-fra potato


 * // pesa, pessa

Nigeria: saluga, tumuku, Rizga (Hausa)


 * rizga = P. esculentus

www.ajol.info/index.php/jasr/article/view/67586/55701 (source for tumuku)

Chad: ngaboyo

Tswana: umbondive(ck)

Venda: Mutada, Matheta

Zulu: Umbondive, Ibonda, Ugilo, Ulucanqu, Uluhlaza, Isisqwili, Ushizane, Umhlati, ulujilo, Imbondwe, uJwangu, uShizan, uJilo, uJikwe, uHlazaluti, iZambhane


 * potato

Sudan: Fa-Birama

India: koorka, koorkan, kizhangu


 * Koorka ( ml:  കൂർക്ക  ) is Malayalam. Variant forms koorkka, kookka and kooka also occur.)
 * Kizhangu is Tamil and Malayalam for "tuber" (  கிழங்கு  and  കിഴങ്ങ്  ).
 * “Koorka / Sheema Kizhangu” in Malayalam and “Soppur Kooke” in Konkani // Koorka ('chivakizhnagu' in Malayalam) // koorka kizhangu(chinese potato) // Koorka-kizhangu (M), Siru kizhangu (T). // sambrali (in Kannada)
 * Kannada: ಸಂಬ್ರಾಲಿ saṃbrāli
 * “Koorka / Sheema Kizhangu” in Malayalam and “Soppur Kooke” in Konkani // Koorka ('chivakizhnagu' in Malayalam) // koorka kizhangu(chinese potato) // Koorka-kizhangu (M), Siru kizhangu (T). // sambrali (in Kannada)
 * Kannada: ಸಂಬ್ರಾಲಿ saṃbrāli
 * Kannada: ಸಂಬ್ರಾಲಿ saṃbrāli

Indonesia: ketang, kentang dwaja


 * id:Kentang hitam atau kentang kleci
 * Javanese: kentang ireng, Sundanese: huwi kentang
 * Javanese: kentang ireng, Sundanese: huwi kentang

Malaysia: kembili, ubi kembili


 * ms:Ubi keling: "Di Indonesia, ia juga dikenali sebagai kentang Jawa atau kentang Ireng."
 * ( < Keling)
 * ( < Keling)

Sri Lanka: innala, ratala


 * // Sinhala: Innala // ඉන්නල (Coleus Rotundifollius හෝ Solenastemon Rotundifolius)

Thai: man-khinu, man-nu

Malawi: buye, nyumbu, njowe, cezani

Siswati: Mlata

Shona: Shezha, Tsenga, Tensa, Tsenza

Tswana: Makwele e Sechuana

Sotho: Tapole emahlo (wild), Tapole-ea-mahlo

Xhosa: Itapile

Malagasy: ofimamy (?) Histoire de la grande isle Madagascar - Étienne de Flacourt, Claude Allibert p. 518
 * voamitsa, voamitso (Sakalava dialect) -- but ofimamy might refer to Dioscorea

Minianka: oussou-ni-fing (one colonial text)

Bambara: oussou-ni-gue

Les ressources agricoles et forestières des colonies françaises, Henri Jumelle, (Barlatier) 1907, p. 167-168 (Google ebook)

MANDING-BAMBARA usu ni fin (JB) usu ni gé (JB) MANINKA ...

West African: GUINEA-BISSAU BIAFADA befaba (JDES) FULA-PULAAR (Guinea-Bissau) tife (JDES) MALI MANDING-BAMBARA fa-birama from Birama, the na SENEGAL MANDING-BAMBARA usu ni fin (JB) usu ni gé (JB) MANINKA fabirama (JB) SIERRA LEONE TEMNE an-bero (JMD)

http://plants.jstor.org/upwta/3_64 Entry for Solenostemon rotundifolius (Poir.) JK Morton [family LABIATAE]

Mandinka & Bambara (Mali): fa-birama

Manianka: fabirama (JB)

Mandinka (Mandinka): usu ni fin (JB) usu ni gé (JB)

Bambara: oussou-ni-gue

Minianka: oussou-ni-fing

Manianka: fabirama (JB)

Dioula: fabirama

Mooré (Mossi): peinssa

Western Sahel
Mandinka: fa-birama, usu ni fin. usu ni gé

Bambara: fa-birama, oussou-ni-gue usu ni gé

Manianka: fabirama. usu ni fin, oussou-ni-fing

Dioula: fabirama

Tables
konkani: kukka, kooka

" कूक (kuuka) = a vegetable that grown underground and is called kokum" http://www.savemylanguage.org/konkani/worddetails.php?word=kuuka

" कूक (kuuk) = sabrani"

Kannada: samrani

ಅಮ್ಬಲಿ ಗೆಣಸು ambali genasu = aerial yam

Malayalam: kūrkka (koorka, koorkka)

Tamil: siru kizhangu சிறு கிழங்கு ciṟu kiḻaṅku confirmed J. P. Fabricius's Tamil and English dictionary. 4th ed. (ciṟu means "little", so "little root" or "little tuber")

 umbi gembili = Dioscorea esculenta

P. rotundifolius has no common vernacular name across varieties of English. It is called "Chinese potato" in India (a misnomer since the plant has no connection with China), and less commonly "coleus potato". The name "Hausa potato" refers to it's cultivation in northern Nigeria. Elsewhere in Africa, it is often referred to as "country potato" or "native potato", though regionally these terms can also refer to the related species  P. esculentus and  P. edulis. In South Africa, both P. rotundifolius and P. esculentus are grown, and the names "native" or "Zulu potato" can refer to both. P. rotundifolius goes by a wide variety of names in languages spoken in areas where it is grown. P. rotundifolius has no common vernacular name across varieties of English. It is called "Chinese potato" in India (a misnomer since the plant has no connection with China), and less commonly "coleus potato". The name "Hausa potato" refers to it's cultivation in northern Nigeria. Elsewhere in Africa, it is often referred to as "country potato" or "native potato", though regionally these terms can also refer to the related species  P. esculentus and  P. edulis. In South Africa, both P. rotundifolius and P. esculentus are grown, and the names "native" or "Zulu potato" can refer to both. P. rotundifolius goes by a wide variety of names in languages spoken in areas where it is grown.

That's about it for names.

Names:

Lists of vernacular names are very much prone to error, both from typos

Lost crops of Africa's list contains several obvious mistakes: "kentang dwaja" is a typo for kentang Djawa, an old Indonesian spelling of kentang Jawa ("Javanese kentang), "kizhangu" means "tuber" in Malayalam and Tamil it's not a specific name for P. rotundifolius in either language

I've only included names I can verify are real

Names I haven't included are: Kannada: sambrali Tamil: siru kizhangu Thai: man khinu, man nu Malagasy: ofimamy

Comments
The term Madagascar potato seems to be used, like a lot of the other names listed here, to refer to both P. rotundifolius and P. esculentus. I haven't been able to confirm that P. rotundifolis is grown in Madagascar at all, although one of the two species must have been at one point.

http://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0fnl2.2--00-00-10-0---0---0direct-10---4---0-1l--11-en-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0--40-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL3.44&d=HASHd8d905db1c6eae0daee48f.19&gt=1

http://books.google.com/books?id=O9D28_OaDJUC&pg=PA571&lpg=PA571&dq=%22solenostemon+rotundifolius%22+Madagascar&source=bl&ots=vTvbKF5viA&sig=BAFyV6VnCK6YhLfNXb-vvQMxNBs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1LGaUfvsJurL0AGY3IHoCg&ved=0CBgQ6AEwADgU#v=onepage&q=%22solenostemon%20rotundifolius%22%20Madagascar&f=false