Typhonium trilobatum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Typhonium trilobatum (L.) Schott

Protologue: Wiener Zeitschr. Kunst 1829(3): 732 (1829).

Family: Araceae

Synonyms

• Arum trilobatum L.,
• Arum orixense Roxburgh ex Andrews,
• Typhonium orixense (Andrews) Schott.

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: keladi puyuh (Peninsular)
• Laos: bo:n bièw
• Thailand: ma-ho-ra (Chong, Chanthaburi), utta phit (central), bon baeo (Ubon Ratchatani), thithe (Karen)
• Vietnam: củ chóc, chóc, bán hạ nam, bán hạ thùy

Distribution

Nepal, eastern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand and northern Peninsular Malaysia; introduced in Singapore, western Borneo, the Philippines, and locally in western Africa, Trinidad and Central America.

Uses

In Thailand the tubers are applied to the abdomen in case of rigidity and to wounds, and the leaves are used as a poultice for boils after being softened over a fire. In Vietnam a decoction of the tubers is used to treat cough, asthma and nausea, and also to stop vomiting and against headache, gastric ulcers, abscesses and snakebites.

The dried sliced corms are locally eaten in Indo-China. The leaves are said to be useful as fish food.

Observations

• A small herb up to 45 cm tall, with subglobose corm up to 4 cm in diameter and roots from the top.
• Leaves with petiole up to 40 cm long, blade usually deeply trilobed, central lobe up to 20 cm × 10 cm, lateral lobes slightly smaller.
• Inflorescence a spadix; peduncle 5 cm long; spathe 10-20 cm, with dark red limb; spadix with 1 cm pistillate part, sterile part 1-2 cm long and covered with whitish intertwined filamentous sterile flowers, naked interstice 1-2.5 cm, staminate part 2-3 cm long, appendix 5-10 cm long and dark red.

T. trilobatum is a weed occurring in open sites and open forest in the lowland, often on wet soils, also on limestone. In Peninsular Malaysia it is a weed around towns.

Selected sources

121, 173, 245, 671, 680. medicinals

13, 15, 20, 37, 38, 40, 49, 65, 81, 93. carbohydrates

Main genus page

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Authors

• Wongsatit Chuakul, Noppamas Soonthornchareonnon & Orawan Ruangsomboon
• L.E. Groen, J.S. Siemonsma & P.C.M. Jansen