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95-470: Taro ( / ˈ t ɑːr oʊ , ˈ t ær -/ ; Colocasia esculenta ) is a root vegetable . It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms , leaves, stems and petioles . Taro corms are a food staple in African , Oceanic , East Asian , Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures (similar to yams ). Taro is believed to be one of

190-472: A UNEP report, the Caribbean coral reefs might get extinct in next 20 years due to population explosion along the coast lines, overfishing, the pollution of coastal areas and global warming. Some Caribbean islands have terrain that Europeans found suitable for cultivation for agriculture. Tobacco was an important early crop during the colonial era, but was eventually overtaken by sugarcane production as

285-581: A child together named Hāloanakalaukapalili (Long stalk trembling), but it was stillborn . After the father and daughter buried the child near their house, a kalo plant grew over the grave: Root vegetable Root vegetables are generally storage organs , enlarged to store energy in the form of carbohydrates . They differ in the concentration and balance of starches , sugars , and other carbohydrates. The following list classifies root vegetables organized by their roots' anatomy. Many root vegetables keep well in root cellars , lasting several months. This

380-402: A constant flow of water. About 300 varieties of kalo were originally brought to Hawaiʻi (about 100 remain). The kalo plant takes seven months to grow until harvest, so lo`i fields are used in rotation and the soil can be replenished while the loʻi in use has sufficient water. Stems are typically replanted in the lo`i for future harvests. One mythological version of Hawaiian ancestry cites

475-578: A devastating impact on the population, so starting in 1503, slaves from Africa were imported to the colony. While early slave traders were Portuguese and Spanish, known as the First Atlantic System, by the 17th century the trade became dominated by British, French, and Dutch merchants. This was known as the Second Atlantic System. 5 million African slaves would be taken to the Caribbean, and around half would be traded to

570-541: A few still are, colonies of European nations; a few are overseas or dependent territories : The British West Indies were united by the United Kingdom into a West Indies Federation between 1958 and 1962. The independent countries formerly part of the B.W.I. still have a joint cricket team that competes in Test matches , One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals . The West Indian cricket team includes

665-637: A single, very variable species, the correct name for which is Colocasia esculenta . The specific epithet , esculenta , means "edible" in Latin. Colocasia esculenta is thought to be native to Southern India and Southeast Asia , but is widely naturalised . Colocasia is thought to have originated in the Indomalayan realm , perhaps in East India , Nepal , and Bangladesh . It spread by cultivation eastward into Southeast Asia, East Asia and

760-456: A staple of the Fijian diet for centuries, and its cultural importance is celebrated on Taro Day . Its growth as an export crop began in 1993 when taro leaf blight devastated the taro industry in neighboring Samoa . Fiji filled the void and was soon supplying taro internationally. Almost 80% of Fiji's exported taro comes from the island of Taveuni where the taro beetle species Papuana uninodis

855-713: Is 64% water, 35% carbohydrates , and contains negligible protein and fat (table). In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), taro supplies 142 calories of food energy , and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value , DV) of vitamin B6 (25% DV), vitamin E (20% DV), and manganese (21% DV), while phosphorus and potassium are in moderate amounts (10–11% DV) (table). Raw taro leaves are 86% water, 7% carbohydrates, 5% protein, and 1% fat (table). The leaves are nutrient-rich, containing substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals , especially vitamin K at 103% of

950-822: Is a subregion in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean . Bordered by North America to the north, Central America to the west, and South America to the south, it comprises numerous islands , cays, islets, reefs, and banks. It includes the Lucayan Archipelago , Greater Antilles , and Lesser Antilles of the West Indies ; the Quintana Roo islands and Belizean islands of

1045-602: Is absent. The Fijian taro industry on the main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu faces constant damage from the beetles. The Fiji Ministry of Agriculture and the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) are researching pest control and instigating quarantine restrictions to prevent the spread of the pest. Taveuni now exports pest-damage-free crops. Kalo

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1140-639: Is believed that they were domesticated independently multiple times, with authors giving possible locations as New Guinea , Mainland Southeast Asia , and northeastern India , based largely on the assumed native range of the wild plants. However, more recent studies have pointed out that wild taro may have a much larger native distribution than previously believed, and wild breeding types may also likely be indigenous to other parts of Island Southeast Asia. Archaeological traces of taro exploitation have been recovered from numerous sites, though whether these were cultivated or wild types can not be ascertained. They include

1235-581: Is called malanga . In the Philippines , the whole plant is usually referred to as gabi , while the corm is called taro . Taro is very popular flavor for milk tea in the country, and just as popular ingredient in several Filipino savory dishes such as sinigang . Other names include idumbe in the KwaZulu-Natal region, and boina in the Wolaita language of Ethiopia. In Tanzania , it

1330-587: Is called magimbi in the Swahili language . It is also called eddo in Liberia . Colocasia esculenta is a perennial , tropical plant primarily grown as a root vegetable for its edible, starchy corm . The plant has rhizomes of different shapes and sizes. Leaves are up to 40 by 25 centimetres ( 15 + 1 ⁄ 2 by 10 inches) and sprout from the rhizome. They are dark green above and light green beneath. They are triangular-ovate, sub-rounded and mucronate at

1425-699: Is locally known as gölevez and mainly grown on the Mediterranean coast, such as the Alanya district of Antalya Province and the Anamur district of Mersin Province . In Macaronesia this plant has become naturalized, probably as a result of the Portuguese discoveries and is frequently used in the macaronesian diet as an important carbohydrate source . In the southeastern United States , this plant

1520-404: Is not allowed when a bowl of poi is "open". It is also disrespectful to fight in front of an elder and one should not raise their voice, speak angrily, or make rude comments or gestures. A loʻi is a patch of wetland dedicated to growing kalo . Hawaiians have traditionally used irrigation to produce kalo. Wetland fields often produce more kalo per acre than dry fields. Wetland-grown kalo need

1615-522: Is often used to describe a pirate operating in this region. The Caribbean region was war-torn throughout much of its colonial history, but the wars were often based in Europe, with only minor battles fought in the Caribbean. Some wars, however, were born of political turmoil in the Caribbean itself. In 1791, a slave rebellion in the French colony of Saint-Domingue led to the establishment in 1804 of Haiti ,

1710-450: Is one cause driving down harvests from the 1948 high of 14.1 million pounds (6,400 t), but more recently, the decline has resulted from pests and diseases. A non-native apple snail ( Pomacea canaliculata ) is a major culprit along with a plant rot disease traced to a species of fungus in the genus Phytophthora that now damages kalo crops throughout Hawaii. Although pesticides could control both problems to some extent, pesticide use in

1805-903: Is one way of storing food for use long after harvest , which is especially important in nontropical latitudes , where winter is traditionally a time of little to no harvesting. There are also season extension methods that can extend the harvest throughout the winter, mostly through the use of polytunnels . Starchy root vegetables are of particular economic importance as staple foods , especially in tropical regions . They overshadow cereals throughout much of Central and West Africa , as well as Oceania , in these areas being used directly or mashed to make foods such as fufu or poi . Caribbean The Caribbean ( / ˌ k ær ɪ ˈ b iː ən , k ə ˈ r ɪ b i ən / KARR -ib- EE -ən, kə- RIB -ee-ən , locally / ˈ k ær ɪ b i æ n / KARR -ib-ee-an ; Spanish : el Caribe ; French : les Caraïbes ; Dutch : de Caraïben ),

1900-667: Is questioned. Consistent dates of 3100 BC appear in Cuba . The earliest dates in the Lesser Antilles are from 2000 BC in Antigua . A lack of pre-ceramic sites in the Windward Islands and differences in technology suggest that these Archaic settlers may have Central American origins. Whether an Ortoiroid colonization of the islands took place is uncertain, but there is little evidence of one. DNA studies changed some of

1995-573: Is recognized as an invasive species . Many populations can be commonly found growing near drain ditches and bayous in Houston , Texas. Taro is one of the most ancient cultivated crops. Taro is found widely in tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia and in Maldives. Taro is highly polymorphic , making taxonomy and distinction between wild and cultivated types difficult. It

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2090-456: Is supplied by rainfall or supplemental irrigation. Taro is one of the few crops (along with rice and lotus ) that can be grown under flooded conditions. Flooded cultivation has some advantages over dry-land cultivation: higher yields (about double), out-of-season production (which may result in higher prices), and weed control (which flooding facilitates). Like most root crops , taro and eddoes do well in deep, moist or even swampy soils where

2185-476: Is taro's Hawaiian name. The local crop plays an important role in Hawaiian culture and mythology . Taro is a traditional staple of the native cuisine of Hawaii . Some of the uses for taro include poi , table taro (steamed and served like a potato), taro chips, and lūʻau leaf (to make laulau ). In Hawaii, kalo is farmed under either dryland or wetland conditions. Taro farming there is challenging because of

2280-412: Is used; for instance, corms with 5 to 10 centimeters of petiole remaining are exported from Fiji to New Zealand in wooden boxes. They are then transported via refrigerated container, chilled to around 5° Celsius. The corms can be maintained for up to six weeks in good condition; most good-quality corms may even be replanted and grown by the consumer, thanks to the species’ prolific nature and hardiness. In

2375-689: Is warm year round, in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and only varies from winter to summer about 2–5 degrees on the southern islands and about a 10–20 degrees difference on the northern islands of the Caribbean. The northern islands, like the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, may be influenced by continental masses during winter months, such as cold fronts. Aruba: Latitude 12°N Puerto Rico: Latitude 18°N Cuba: at Latitude 22°N Lucayan Archipelago Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles All islands at some point were, and

2470-469: The 2004 Haitian coup d'état , the US were accused by CARICOM of arranging it to remove elected Haitian leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide. In 1965, 23,000 US troops were sent to the Dominican Republic to quash a local uprising against military rule (see Dominican Civil War ). President Lyndon Johnson had ordered the invasion to stem what he deemed to be a "Communist threat." However, the mission appeared ambiguous and

2565-635: The Caribbean and West Indies , taro is known as dasheen in Trinidad and Tobago , Saint Lucia , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica . The leaves are known as aruiya ke bhaji by Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians . In Portuguese , it is known simply as taro , as well as inhame , inhame-coco , taioba , taiova , taioba-de-são-tomé or matabala ; in Spanish , it

2660-620: The Caribbean . The Caribbean is sometimes considered alongside Latin America as a region. Generally, the Caribbean region is organized into 33 political entities , including 13 sovereign states , 12 dependencies , 7 overseas territories , and various disputed territories . From 15 December 1954 to 10 October 2010, there was a territory known as the Netherlands Antilles composed of five islands, all of which were Dutch dependencies. From 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962, there

2755-825: The Caribbean Community . On the continental mainland of the Americas , the Caribbean coasts of Mexico , Central America, and South America, including the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, Bay Islands Department of Honduras, the North and South Caribbean Autonomous Regions of Nicaragua, the Limón Province of Costa Rica, Cartagena and Barranquilla in Colombia, Maracaibo and Cumaná in Venezuela, are considered part of Caribbean. As with

2850-648: The Cook Islands and surpasses all other crops in terms of land area devoted to production. The prominence of the crop there has led it to be a staple of the population's diet. Taro is grown across the country, but the method of cultivation depends on the nature of the island it is grown on. Taro also plays an important role in the country's export trade. The root is eaten boiled, as is standard across Polynesia . Taro leaves are also eaten, cooked with coconut milk, onion, and meat or fish. Taro ( dalo in Fijian ) has been

2945-711: The Cuban Revolution of 1959, relations deteriorated rapidly leading to the Bay of Pigs Invasion , the Cuban Missile Crisis , and successive US attempts to destabilize the island, based upon Cold War fears of the Soviet threat. The US invaded and occupied Hispaniola for 19 years (1915–34), subsequently dominating the Haitian economy through aid and loan repayments. The US invaded Haiti again in 1994 . After

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3040-468: The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico , while the more seasonal dry tropical savanna climates are found in Cuba , northern Colombia and Venezuela , and southern Yucatán, Mexico . Arid climates are found along the extreme northern coast of Venezuela out to the islands including Aruba and Curacao , as well as the northwestern tip of Yucatán. While the region generally is sunny much of

3135-588: The Indian subcontinent and Asia ; as well as modern immigration from around the world. The region takes its name from the Caribs , an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Americas . The two most prevalent pronunciations of "Caribbean" outside the Caribbean are / ˌ k ær ɪ ˈ b iː ə n / ( KARR -ə- BEE -ən ), with

3230-784: The Monroe Doctrine , the United States gained a major influence on most Caribbean nations. In the early part of the 20th century this influence was extended by participation in the Banana Wars . Victory in the Spanish–American War and the signing of the Platt Amendment in 1901 ensured that the United States would have the right to interfere in Cuban political and economic affairs, militarily if necessary. After

3325-548: The Niah Caves of Borneo around 10,000 years ago, Ille Cave of Palawan , dated to at least 11,000 year ago; Kuk Swamp of New Guinea , dated to between 8250 BC and 7960 BC; and Kilu Cave in the Solomon Islands dated to around 28,000 to 20,000 years ago. In the case of Kuk Swamp, there is evidence of formalized agriculture emerging by about 10,000 years ago, with evidence of cultivated plots, though which plant

3420-558: The Pacific Islands ; westward to Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean Basin ; and then southward and westward from there into East Africa and West Africa , where it spread to the Caribbean and Americas . Taro was probably first native to the lowland wetlands of Malaysia , where it is called taloes . In Australia, C. esculenta var. aquatilis is thought to be native to the Kimberley region of Western Australia ;

3515-486: The Roman Empire . Today it is known as kolokasi ( Kολοκάσι ). It is usually fried or cooked with corn, pork, or chicken, in a tomato sauce in casserole. "Baby" kolokasi is called "poulles": after being fried dry, red wine and coriander seed are added, and then it is served with freshly squeezed lemon. Lately, some restaurants have begun serving thin slices of kolokasi deep fried, calling them "kolokasi chips". In

3610-787: The Yucatán Peninsula ; and the Bay Islands , Miskito Cays , Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina , and Corn Islands of Central America. It also includes the coastal areas on the continental mainland of the Americas bordering the region from the Yucatán Peninsula in North America through Central America to the Guianas in South America. Situated largely on the Caribbean Plate ,

3705-432: The loʻi is banned because of the opportunity for chemicals to migrate quickly into streams, and then eventually the sea. Important aspects of Hawaiian culture revolve around kalo . For example, the newer name for a traditional Hawaiian feast, the lūʻau , comes from kalo . Young kalo tops baked with coconut milk and chicken meat or octopus arms are frequently served at luaus . By ancient Hawaiian custom, fighting

3800-538: The plantation system . [REDACTED] The oldest evidence of humans in the Caribbean is in southern Trinidad at Banwari Trace , where remains have been found from 7,000 years ago. These pre-ceramic sites, which belong to the Archaic (pre-ceramic) age, have been termed Ortoiroid . The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlement in Hispaniola dates to about 3600 BC, but the reliability of these finds

3895-415: The 10-year median production of kalo to be about 6.1 million pounds (2,800 t). However, 2003 taro production was only 5 million pounds (2,300 t), the lowest since record-keeping began in 1946. The previous low (1997) was 5.5 million pounds (2,500 t). Despite generally growing demand, production was even lower in 2005—only 4 million pounds, with kalo for processing into poi accounting for 97.5%. Urbanization

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3990-954: The Bahamas and the Leeward Islands ; the Island Caribs and Galibi in the Windward Islands; and the Ciboney in western Cuba. The Taínos are subdivided into Classic Taínos, who occupied Puerto Rico and part of Hispaniola; Western Taínos, who occupied the Bahamian archipelago, Cuba, Jamaica , and part of Hispaniola; and the Eastern Taínos, who occupied the northern Lesser Antilles . The southern Lesser Antilles, including Guadeloupe , Dominica , and Trinidad, were inhabited by both Carib-speaking and Arawak-speaking groups. Soon after Christopher Columbus came to

4085-644: The British Caribbean islands. Slavery was abolished first in the Dutch Empire in 1814. Spain abolished slavery in its empire in 1811, with the exceptions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo. Slavery was not abolished in Cuba until 1886. Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807 , and slavery proper in 1833 . France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848. The Caribbean was known for pirates , especially between 1640 and 1680. The term " buccaneer "

4180-608: The Caribbean itself, but according to the Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage , the most common pronunciation in Caribbean English stresses the first syllable instead, / ˈ k ær ɪ b i æ n / ( KARR -ih-bee-an ). The word "Caribbean" has multiple uses. Its principal ones are geographical and political. The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and historical connections to Africa, slavery , European colonisation and

4275-692: The Caribbean region varies: Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin. These islands include Aruba (which has minor volcanic features), Curaçao , Barbados , Bonaire , the Cayman Islands , Saint Croix , the Bahamas , and Antigua . Others possess rugged towering mountain-ranges like the islands of Saint Martin , Cuba , Hispaniola , Puerto Rico , Jamaica , Dominica , Montserrat , Saba , Sint Eustatius , Saint Kitts , Saint Lucia , Saint Thomas , Saint John , Tortola , Grenada , Saint Vincent , Guadeloupe , Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago . Definitions of

4370-536: The Caribbean, both Portuguese and Spanish explorers began claiming territories in Central and South America. These early colonies brought gold to Europe; most specifically England, the Netherlands, and France. These nations hoped to establish profitable colonies in the Caribbean. Colonial rivalries made the Caribbean a cockpit for European wars for centuries. Columbus, and the early colonists of Hispaniola, treated

4465-464: The DV (table). Taro is a food staple in African , Oceanic and South Asian cultures. People usually consume its edible corm and leaves. The corms, which have a light purple color due to phenolic pigments, are roasted, baked or boiled. The natural sugars give a sweet, nutty flavor. The starch is easily digestible, and since the grains are fine and small it is often used for baby food. In its raw form,

4560-425: The Dutch. Sea water was pumped into shallow ponds, producing coarse salt when the water evaporated. The natural environmental diversity of the Caribbean islands has led to recent growth in eco-tourism . This type of tourism is growing on islands lacking sandy beaches and dense human populations. Life expectancy in some countries of the Caribbean in 2022, according to estimation of the World Bank Group : At

4655-416: The Orinoco around 650 AD and another group, the Arauquinoid, expanded into these areas and up the Caribbean chain. Around 1300 AD a new group, the Mayoid, entered Trinidad and remained the dominant culture until Spanish settlement. At the time of the European discovery of most of the islands of the Caribbean, three major Amerindian indigenous peoples lived on the islands: the Taíno in the Greater Antilles ,

4750-432: The South American nation of Guyana , the only former British colony on the mainland of that continent. In addition, these countries share the University of the West Indies as a regional entity. The university consists of three main campuses in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, a smaller campus in the Bahamas and Resident Tutors in other contributing territories such as Trinidad. The Caribbean islands have one of

4845-436: The United States, Britain, France and the Netherlands still have some Caribbean possessions . The decline of the export industries meant a need to diversify the economies of the Caribbean territories. The tourism industry started developing in the early 20th century, rapidly developing in the 1960s when regular international flights made vacations affordable and is now a $ 50 billion industry. Another industry that developed in

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4940-414: The United States. Between the 1960s and 80s, most of the British holdings in the Caribbean achieved political independence, starting with Jamaica in 1962 , then Trinidad and Tobago (1962), British Guiana (1966), Barbados (1966), the Bahamas (1973), Grenada (1974), Dominica (1978), St. Lucia (1979), St. Vincent (1979), Antigua and Barbuda (1981), and St. Kitts and Nevis (1983). Presently,

5035-423: The annual rainfall exceeds 2,500 mm (100 in). Eddoes are more resistant to drought and cold. The crop attains maturity within six to twelve months after planting in dry-land cultivation and after twelve to fifteen months in wetland cultivation. The crop is harvested when the plant height decreases and the leaves turn yellow. Taro generally commands a higher market price in comparison to other root crops, so

5130-428: The apex, with the tip of the basal lobes rounded or sub-rounded. The petiole is .8–1.2 metres ( 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 –4 feet) high. The path can be up to 25 cm (10 in) long. The spadix is about three fifths as long as the spathe , with flowering parts up to 8 millimetres ( 3 ⁄ 8  in) in diameter. The female portion is at the fertile ovaries intermixed with sterile white ones. Neuters grow above

5225-411: The coastal areas of the mainland, Belize , Panama , Guyana , Suriname , and French Guiana are often completely included within the Caribbean due to their strong political and cultural ties with the region. Geopolitically, the islands of the Caribbean are often regarded as a subregion of North America , though sometimes they are included in Middle America , or regarded as its own subregion as

5320-478: The cognate forms in Austronesian suggests that the term may have been borrowed and spread from an Austroasiatic language perhaps in Borneo (cf. proto-Mon-Khmer * t 2 rawʔ , Khasi shriew , Khmu sroʔ , Mlabri kwaaj ,...). The Ancient Greek word κολοκάσιον ( kolokasion , lit. 'lotus root') is the origin of the Modern Greek word kolokasi ( κολοκάσι ), the word kolokas in both Greek and Turkish , and qulqas ( قلقاس ) in Arabic . It

5415-444: The common variety esculenta is now naturalised and considered an invasive weed in Western Australia, the Northern Territory , Queensland and New South Wales . In Europe, C. esculenta is cultivated in Cyprus and it's called Colocasi, (Κολοκάσι in Greek) and it is certified as a PDO product. It is also found in the Greek island of Ikaria and cited as a vital source of food for the island during WW II. In Turkey, C. esculenta

5510-478: The corms are usually stored at cooler temperatures, ranging from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius and maintained at a relative humidity of 80% to 90%. For packaging, the corms are commonly placed in polypropylene bags or ventilated wooden crates to minimize condensation and 'sweating.' During export, a weight allowance of approximately 5% above the net weight is included to account for potential shrinkage during transit. For commercial shipping and export purposes, refrigeration

5605-574: The difficulties of accessing fresh water. Kalo is usually grown in "pond fields" known as loʻi . Typical dryland or "upland" varieties (varieties grown in watered but not flooded fields) are lehua maoli and bun long , the latter widely known as "Chinese taro". Bun long is used for making taro chips. Dasheen (also called "eddo") is another dryland variety cultivated for its corms or as an ornamental plant. A contemporary Hawaiian diet consists of many tuberous plants, particularly sweet potato and kalo. The Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service determined

5700-448: The earlier foraging inhabitants—presumably through disease or violence—as they settled new islands." Between 400 BC and 200 BC, the first ceramic-using agriculturalists, the Saladoid culture , entered Trinidad from South America. They expanded up the Orinoco River to Trinidad, and then spread rapidly up the islands of the Caribbean. Some time after 250 AD another group, the Barancoid, entered Trinidad. The Barancoid society collapsed along

5795-666: The earliest cultivated plants. The English term taro was borrowed from the Māori language when Captain Cook first observed Colocasia plantations in New Zealand in 1769. The form taro or talo is widespread among Polynesian languages : taro in Tahitian ; talo in Samoan and Tongan ; kalo in Hawaiian ; taʻo in Marquesan . All these forms originate from Proto-Polynesian * talo , which itself descended from Proto-Oceanic * talos (cf. dalo in Fijian ) and Proto-Austronesian * tales (cf. taleus in Sundanese & tales in Javanese ). However, irregularity in sound correspondences among

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5890-482: The early 1970’s, one of the earliest taro breeding programs was initiated in the Solomon Islands to create cultivars that were resistant to taro leaf blight. After taro leaf blight was introduced to Samoa in 1993, another breeding program was initiated. In this program Asian varieties that were resistant to TLB were used. The breeding program helped restore the taro export industry in Samoa. Corm yield and corm quality appear to be negatively correlated. In order to produce

5985-432: The early 20th century was offshore banking and financial services , particularly in The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands , as the proximity of the Caribbean islands to North America made them an attractive location for branches of foreign banks seeking to avail themselves of less complicated regulations and lower tax rates. The United States has conducted military operations in the Caribbean for at least 100 years. Since

6080-648: The females, and are rhomboid or irregular orium lobed, with six or eight cells. The appendage is shorter than the male portion. Taro is related to Xanthosoma and Caladium , plants commonly grown ornamentally , and like them, it is sometimes loosely called elephant ear. Similar taro varieties include giant taro ( Alocasia macrorrhizos ), swamp taro ( Cyrtosperma merkusii ), and arrowleaf elephant's ear ( Xanthosoma sagittifolium ). 18th-century Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus originally described two species, Colocasia esculenta and Colocasia antiquorum , but many later botanists consider them both to be members of

6175-682: The first humans is correlated with extinction of giant owls and dwarf ground sloths . The hotspot contains dozens of highly threatened animals (ranging from birds, to mammals and reptiles), fungi and plants. Examples of threatened animals include the Puerto Rican amazon , two species of solenodon (giant shrews) in Cuba and the Hispaniola island, and the Cuban crocodile . The region's coral reefs, which contain about 70 species of hard corals and from 500 to 700 species of reef-associated fishes have undergone rapid decline in ecosystem integrity in recent years, and are considered particularly vulnerable to global warming and ocean acidification. According to

6270-409: The first republic in the Caribbean. Neighboring Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic ) would attain its independence on three separate occasions in 1821, 1844 and 1865. Cuba became independent in 1898 following American intervention in the War of Independence during the Spanish-American war . Following the war, Spain's last colony in the Americas, Puerto Rico , became an unincorporated territory of

6365-544: The fringe of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea just to the north of the island of Puerto Rico, is the deepest point in all of the Atlantic Ocean. The region sits in the line of several major shipping routes with the Panama Canal connecting the western Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The climate of the area is tropical , varying from tropical rainforest in some areas to tropical monsoon and tropical savanna in others. There are also some locations that are arid climates with considerable drought in some years, and

6460-403: The indigenous peoples brutally, even enslaving children. In 1512, after pressure from Dominican friars, the Laws of Burgos were introduced by the Spanish Crown to better protect the rights of the New World natives. The Spanish used a form of slavery called the Encomienda , where slaves would be awarded to the conquistadors, who were charged with protecting and converting their slaves. This had

6555-419: The irritating raphides present in the other plants. Taro is also identified as one of the staples of Micronesia , from archaeological evidence dating back to the pre-colonial Latte Period (c. 900 – 1521 AD), indicating that it was also carried by Micronesians when they colonized the islands. Taro pollen and starch residue have also been identified in Lapita sites, dated to between 1100 BC and 550 BC. Taro

6650-418: The island of Barbados in the Lesser Antilles, are considered to be a part of the Caribbean despite not bordering the Caribbean Sea. All the islands in the Antilles , including the Lucayan Archipelago, form the West Indies , a term often interchangeable with the Caribbean . The archipelago of Bermuda is not part of the Caribbean, as it lies in the Sargasso Sea to the north, but it is an associate member of

6745-486: The most diverse eco systems in the world. The animals, fungi and plants, and have been classified as one of Conservation International 's biodiversity hotspots because of their exceptionally diverse terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ranging from montane cloud forests , to tropical rainforest , to cactus scrublands . The region also contains about 8% (by surface area) of the world's coral reefs along with extensive seagrass meadows, both of which are frequently found in

6840-466: The number of fungal species endemic to some Caribbean islands. For Cuba, 2200 species of fungi have been tentatively identified as possible endemics of the island; for Puerto Rico , the number is 789 species; for the Dominican Republic , the number is 699 species; for Trinidad and Tobago, the number is 407 species. Many of the ecosystems of the Caribbean islands have been devastated by deforestation , pollution, and human encroachment. The arrival of

6935-549: The peaks of mountains tend to have cooler temperate climates . Rainfall varies with elevation, size and water currents, such as the cool upwellings that keep the ABC islands arid. Warm, moist trade winds blow consistently from the east, creating both rain forest and semi arid climates across the region. The tropical rainforest climates include lowland areas near the Caribbean Sea from Costa Rica north to Belize , as well as

7030-408: The plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate , and the presence of needle-shaped raphides in the plant cells. However, the toxin can be minimized and the tuber rendered palatable by cooking, or by steeping in cold water overnight. Corms of the small, round variety are peeled and boiled, then sold either frozen , bagged in their own liquids, or canned . Taro is the pre-eminent crop of

7125-643: The primary stress on the third syllable , and / k ə ˈ r ɪ b i ə n / ( kə- RIB -ee-ən ), with the stress on the second. Most authorities of the last century preferred the stress on the third syllable. This is the older of the two pronunciations, but the stressed-second-syllable variant has been established for over 75 years. It has been suggested that speakers of British English prefer / ˌ k ær ɪ ˈ b iː ə n / ( KARR -ə- BEE -ən ) while North American speakers more typically use / k ə ˈ r ɪ b i ə n / ( kə- RIB -ee-ən ), but major American dictionaries and other sources list

7220-529: The quality control measures throughout the production process are rather essential. The sizes found in most markets are 1–2 kg and 2–3 kg. The best size for packaging and for consumers is 1–2 kg. To guarantee the product meets the expected high standards upon reaching the consumer, there are some common grading standards for fresh corms: Due to the high moisture content of the corms, and the plant’s natural love of humidity, mold and disease can easily develop, causing root rot or decay. To prolong their shelf lives,

7315-615: The region has thousands of islands, islets , reefs , and cays . Island arcs delineate the northern and eastern edges of the Caribbean Sea : the Greater Antilles in the north and the Lesser Antilles , which includes the Leeward Islands , Windward Islands , and the Leeward Antilles , to the east and south. The nearby northwestern Lucayan Archipelago , comprising The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands , and

7410-551: The region's staple crop. Sugar was produced from sugarcane for export to Europe. Cuba and Barbados were historically the largest producers of sugar . The tropical plantation system thus came to dominate Caribbean settlement. Other islands were found to have terrain unsuited for agriculture , for example Dominica , which remains heavily forested. The islands in the southern Lesser Antilles , Aruba , Bonaire and Curaçao , are extremely arid, making them unsuitable for agriculture. However, they have salt pans that were exploited by

7505-413: The shallow marine waters bordering the island and continental coasts of the region. For the fungi, there is a modern checklist based on nearly 90,000 records derived from specimens in reference collections, published accounts and field observations. That checklist includes more than 11,250 species of fungi recorded from the region. As its authors note, the work is far from exhaustive, and it is likely that

7600-589: The stress on the third syllable as more common in American English too. According to the American version of Oxford Online Dictionaries, the stress on the second syllable is becoming more common in UK English and is increasingly considered "by some" to be more up to date and more "correct". The Oxford Online Dictionaries claim the stress on the second syllable is the most common pronunciation in

7695-433: The taro plant as an ancestor to Hawaiians. Legend joins two siblings of high and divine rank: Papahānaumoku ("Papa from whom lands are born", or Earth mother) and Wākea (Sky father). Together they create the islands of Hawaii and a beautiful woman, Hoʻohokukalani (The Heavenly one who made the stars). The story of kalo begins when Wakea and Papa conceived their daughter, Hoʻohokukalani. Daughter and father then conceived

7790-702: The terms Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles often vary. The Virgin Islands as part of the Puerto Rican bank are sometimes included with the Greater Antilles. The term Lesser Antilles is often used to define an island arc that includes Grenada but excludes Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward Antilles. The waters of the Caribbean Sea host large, migratory schools of fish, turtles, and coral reef formations. The Puerto Rico Trench , located on

7885-771: The time of European contact , the dominant ethnic groups in the Caribbean included the Taíno of the Greater Antilles and northern Lesser Antilles , the Island Caribs of the southern Lesser Antilles, and smaller distinct groups such as the Guanajatabey of western Cuba and the Ciguayo of eastern Hispaniola. The population of the Caribbean is estimated to have been around 750,000 immediately before European contact, although lower and higher figures are given. After contact, social disruption and epidemic diseases such as smallpox and measles (to which they had no natural immunity) led to

7980-538: The traditional beliefs about pre-Columbian indigenous history. According to National Geographic , "studies confirm that a wave of pottery-making farmers—known as Ceramic Age people—set out in canoes from the northeastern coast of South America starting some 2,500 years ago and island-hopped across the Caribbean. They were not, however, the first colonizers. On many islands they encountered a foraging people who arrived some 6,000 or 7,000 years ago...The ceramicists, who are related to today's Arawak -speaking peoples, supplanted

8075-411: The true total number of fungal species already known from the Caribbean is higher. The true total number of fungal species occurring in the Caribbean, including species not yet recorded, is likely far higher given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7% of all fungi worldwide have been discovered. Though the amount of available information is still small, a first effort has been made to estimate

8170-734: The uniform fresh healthy corms that the market desires, early maturing cultivars with a growth period of 5 to 7 months can be used. Cultivars grown in the Pacific regions produce good quality corms, as a result of selecting for corm quality and yield. However, the genetic bases of these cultivars is very narrow. Asian cultivars have agriculturally undesirable traits (such as suckers and stolon), but appear to be more genetically diverse. There needs to be an international exchange of taro germplasm with reliable quarantine procedures. There are thought to be 15,000 varieties of C. esculenta . Currently there are 6,000 accession from various institutes from across

8265-506: The west of Barbados. The principal hurricane belt arcs to northwest of the island of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean. A great example being recent events of Hurricane Irma devastating the island of Saint Martin during the 2017 hurricane season. Sea surface temperatures change little annually, normally running from 30 °C (87 °F) in the warmest months to 26 °C (76 °F) in the coolest months. The air temperature

8360-488: The wet and dry seasons. Seasonally, monthly mean temperatures vary from only about 5 C (7 F) in the northern most regions, to less than 3 C in the southernmost areas of the Caribbean. Hurricane season is from June to November, but they occur more frequently in August and September and more common in the northern islands of the Caribbean. Hurricanes that sometimes batter the region usually strike northwards of Grenada and to

8455-634: The world. The INEA (International Network for Edible Aroids) already has a core sample of 170 cultivars that have been distributed. These cultivars are maintained in vitro in a germplasm centre in Fiji, which is considered safer and cheaper than field conservation. Taro exists as a diploid (2n=28) and a triploid (3n=42). Naturally occurring triploids in India were found to have significantly better yields. There have been attempts to artificially make triploids by crossing diploids with artificial tetraploids Cooked taro

8550-419: The year, the wet season from May through November sees more frequent cloud cover (both broken and overcast), while the dry season from December through April is more often clear to mostly sunny. Seasonal rainfall is divided into 'dry' and 'wet' seasons, with the latter six months of the year being wetter than the first half. The air temperature is hot much of the year, varying from 25 to 33 C (77 F to 90 F) between

8645-571: Was also a short-lived political union called the British West Indies Federation composed of ten English-speaking Caribbean territories, all of which were then British dependencies. The modern Caribbean is one of the most ethnically diverse regions on the planet, as a result of colonization by the Spanish , English , Dutch , and French ; the Atlantic slave trade from Sub-Saharan Africa ; indentured servitude from

8740-570: Was borrowed by Latin as colocasia , thus becoming the genus name Colocasia . Taro is among the most widely grown species in the group of tropical perennial plants that are colloquially referred to as "elephant ears", when grown as ornamental plants . Other plants with the same nickname include certain species of related aroids possessing large, heart-shaped leaves, usually within such genera as Alocasia , Caladium , Monstera , Philodendron , Syngonium , Thaumatophyllum , and Xanthosoma . In Cyprus, Colocasia has been in use since

8835-415: Was cultivated remains unknown. Taro were carried into the Pacific Islands by Austronesian peoples from around 1300 BC, where they became a staple crop of Polynesians , along with other types of "taros", like Alocasia macrorrhizos , Amorphophallus paeoniifolius , and Cyrtosperma merkusii . They are the most important and the most preferred among the four, because they were less likely to contain

8930-403: Was later spread to Madagascar as early as the 1st century AD. In 2022, world production of taro was 18 million tonnes , led by Nigeria with 46% of the total (table). Taro has the fifth largest production among root and tuber crops worldwide. The average yield of taro is around 7 tons per hectare. Taro can be grown in paddy fields where water is abundant or in upland situations where water

9025-478: Was roundly condemned throughout the hemisphere as a return to gunboat diplomacy . In 1983, the US invaded Grenada to remove populist left-wing leader Maurice Bishop. The US maintains a naval military base in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay . The base is one of five unified commands whose "area of responsibility" is Latin America and the Caribbean. The command is headquartered in Miami, Florida. The geography and climate in

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