Accession Count: 1
Common Name:
manihot
Family Name:
Euphorbiaceae
Botanical Name:
Manihot caudata
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
The manihot is a tree growing to 10 m (30 ft) tall, with a trunk reaching 30 cm (11.8 in) in diameter (1). The canopy and bark can vary, with two distinct phenotypes being expressed (2). One type has a flat canopy and exfoliating bark, while the other has a rounded canopy with smooth bark (2). In either case, the canopy is typically densely foliaged, and the bark is greyish brown (1). Young stems appear reddish-brown, shiny, sparsely pubescent (1). Mature stems are also reddish-brown, and can be glabrous and/or have the epidermis exfoliating (1, 2). Young foliage bright yellow-green (1). Leaves alternately arranged with deciduous stipules, sparsely pubescent. Petioles to 15 cm (6 in) long, dark red with a glaucous bloom, terete, sometimes grooved (1). Leaves palmate with 5 lobes, 3 major and 2 minor (1). The major lobes are obovate, entire, typically to 13 cm (5 in) long by 6 cm (2.4 in) wide, sometimes to 25 cm (9.8 in) by 10 cm (3.9 in); apex abruptly caudate-acuminate and terminating in a bristle which can reach 2 cm (0.8 in) in length (1). The 2 minor lobes are conspicuously nonsymmetric and curve up (1). The inflorescence is monoecious, axillary panicle, 15-25 cm (6-9.8 in) long and with many branches (1). Peduncles, pedicels, and young buds covered with grey-blue glaucescence (1). Both pistillate and staminate flowers are greenish-yellow and often glaucous (1). Fruit a dehiscent capsule on almost-straight pedicels 2-4 cm (0.8-1.6 in) long; capsules ovate-ellipsoid, about 2.25 cm (0.89 in) long and slightly pointed (1). Seeds oblong, about 1.5 cm (0.6 in) long, flattened and conspicuously ribbed along the later edges, with an inconspicuous caruncle (1).
Compound:
Man cau
Geographic Origin:
Mexican Tropics
Ecozone Origin:
Neotropic
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
This species of Manihot is native only to Mexico but widespread throughout, including the states of Sinaloa, Sonora, Michoacan, Aguascalientes, Guerrero, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, and Chihuahua (1, 3, 5). The plant can be found abundantly near Mexico’s largest lake, Lake Chapala between Jalisco and Michoacan, where it sticks to the rocky slopes on the south shore at about 1500 m (4900 ft) above sea level (1). It also is abundant in volcanic soils in the hills near Monte Leon (1). The genus Manihot is presently widespread throughout seasonally dry lowlands in Meso- and South America, however it seems that it originated in Mesoamerica and then radiated out to the south around 3.5 million years ago (4). The genus is best known for the cassava plant, Manihot esculenta (2). The name Manihot originally derived from the Brazilian indigenous language Tupi, from the word “mani’oka” which referred to the cassava plant (6). The specific epithet caudata may refer to the caudate-acuminate shape of the major lobes of the leaves.
Cultivation Notes:
Ethnobotany:
Height:
20 - 50 feet
Width:
16 - 20 feet
Growth Rate:
Slow Growing
Grow Season:
ForeSummer
Flower Season:
ForeSummer
Color:
White
Function:
Shade
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Hardy:
Tender
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
