Herbarium Sheet Detail
NTBG Plant Name:
Alocasia macrorrhizos
Collector Name:
Michael J. Balick
Collection Date:
August 8, 2007
Determiner:
! D. Lorence 9/2008
Observers:
Stephen Dahmer, Yadana Desmond, Ann Kitalong, Christopher Kitalong, Roberta Lee, Nicholas Penna, Kiblas Soaladaob.
Island Group:
CAROLINE ISLANDS
Locality:
Rock Islands, German Lighthouse. In rock islands. On trail to lighthouse 20-200 m elevation.
Plant Description:
Herb to 30 cm tall; sterile. Palauan name: Bisechrabelau/Bisech.
Ethnobotanical Notes:
Use:
Food - Edible tuber but it must be cooked for at least 2 days because it is wild not like regular taro [kukau](Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott). (DO)
Legend/anecdote - Story about Chol (located in the state of Ngarrard, Palau) and how the Japanese soldiers were monitoring the roads at the time. Men from Chol would carry the kukau from their village and walk to deliver the taro to other relatives in other villages. The Japanese would stop the men and take the taro from them for their own use. After this had happened many times, the men of Chol got tired of the Japanese taking their food and going to their relatives empty handed. They switched from the kukau to the bisech. They walked on the same road the next time they went in that direction, and Japanese did the same thing. They continued walking to the other villages. On their next journey to the other villages the Japanese were all holding their mouths with one hand and the other hand was motioning the mem to continue on with their bundles of the kudau without searching them or their knowledge that it was the regular harvested taro. (DO)
Additional interviews (August 9, 2007): Diladelbai Raphaela Sumang (RS); Ausust 13, 2007: Rechiuang Demei Otobed. (DO)
A wild bisech that makes mouth itchy if eaten, and thus not edible (RS). There is a different type of bisech in Palau that is used for titles. (DO)
Habitat:
Disturbed forest.
Date of Record Creation:
August 7, 2012
Date of Last Update:
August 6, 2023
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