What Plant Does Konjac Flour Come From?
The creamy tan powder known as konjac flour grows from the konjac plant (Amorphophallus konjac). Other common names for this tropical perennial from southeastern Asia is devil's tongue, snake palm or umbrella arum. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Geography
-
Native from China to Indonesia, konjac grows in the partially shaded habitats in woodlands. It relishes a deep soil that is moist and rich in organic matter and does not flood. It may be grown outdoors successfully in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6b and warmer.
Features
-
Growing from a corm-like rhizome root, konjac becomes dormant in winter or extreme dry seasons. In early summer a tall reddish purple spathe emerges that surrounds the dark brown spadix flower. Soon afterward a solitary leaf and stalk emerges.
-
Size
-
The konjac rhizome gets as large as 10 inches in diameter. The spathe-and-spadix flower towers about 24 inches tall and the ensuing leaf stalk grows up to 4 1/2 feet tall. The pinnate leaf blade measures about 3 feet wide.
-
