Tokyo Food Safety Information Center » Good things to know » Poisonous plants easily mistaken for harmless ones » Chinese taro (Araceae)

Chinese taro (Araceae)

Perennial plant originating in East Asia with leaves similar to taro growing on its fleshy and fat rhizome, can reach a height of up to 2 meters. Since at a glance it resembles taro, its stem and tubers may be ingested accidentally as taro.

Characteristics

Habitat	It grows in southern Shikoku, southern Kyushu and other areas and is distributed for decoration.
Parts of the plant that may be ingested accidentally.	Stem, rhizome.
Symptoms	Lip numbness, edema in the mouth, stomachache, etc. (due to physical damage caused by calcium oxalate)
Venomous constituents	Calcium oxalate. Its needle-shaped crystals are difficult to dissolve in water.

Chinese taro