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plants
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bat lily Tacca leontopetaloides Family Taccaceae updated Aug 09 Where seen? A very rare plant in Singapore, it now only occurs naturally at Pulau Semakau and Pulau Pawai. Some propagated plants can be found at Bukit Batok Park. It is a widely distributed pantropical plant. Its Malay name is 'Lukeh'. According to Burkill, it was considered rare in Peninsular Malaysia. Features: A low growing plant with bright green hand-shaped leaves on long stalks (50cm-1m). At first glance, it looks a lot like giant celery. It has unusual flowers and fruits growing in a cluster with leafy bracts and long 'whiskers'. It grows naturally in the sun-dappled shade immediately above the high water mark. Human uses: The plant is cultivated in the Pacific, East Asia and East Africa for the starch in its underground roots. According to Burkill, its tubers are very bitter when raw but can be made edible with "suitable preparation". When the plan dies down, the tubers are dug up, rasped into meal, soaked in water, the raspings strained out and starch allowed to settle out of the water. Well purified starch is known as Tahiti Arrowroot. The plant was cultivated in Thailand and may have been in the northern parts of the Malay peninsula. Status and threats: The plant is listed as 'Critically Endangered' in the Red List of threatened plants of Singapore. It is mainly threatened by the loss of its preferred habitats of undisturbed coastal forest. Even in the past only recorded from Pulau Semakau and Pulau Senang. |
 Pulau Semakau, Dec 08  Pulau Semakau, Oct 05 |
 Pulau Semakau, Dec 08 |
 Flower cluster with 'whiskers'. |
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 Pulau Semakau, Dec 08 |
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Pulau Semakau, Oct 05 |
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References
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Singapore University Press. 215 pp.|
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