Maranta arundinacea commonly referred to as arrowroot is an herbaceous, perennial plant that grows to a height of 0.9-1.5 m. Arrowroot is cultivated primarily as a source of food starch which is found in cylindrical rhizomes. It is nutritionally dense starches that are extracted from the tubers of a number of perennial rhizomes. It’s not technically a root but rather an underground mass of roots or root system. The herb is extracted from the fleshy roots, called rhizomes, of the arrowroot plant through an elaborate process of washing, peeling, soaking, and drying in the sun.
| Name | Arrowroot |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Maranta arundinacea |
| Native | Native to South America, the Caribbean and Mexico |
| Common/English Name | Arrow Head, Arrow-root, Arrowroot, Bermuda Arrowroot, Maranta, Obedience Plant, St. Vincent Arrowroot, West Indian Arrowroot |
| Name in Other Languages | Russian : Maranta Trostnikovaia Argentina : Jamaichipeke Puerto Rico : Juá-Juá Brazil : Agoutiguepe German : Maranta Indonesia : Angrik Peru : Saguero Cuba : Juá-Juá Japanese : Kuzuukon Czech : Maranta Rákosovitá Swedish : Arrowrot Dutch : Pijlwortel Eastonian : Roogmaranta Bolivia : Guate Venezuela : Ararú French : Arrowroot Des Antilles Philippines : Sagu ( Bikol ) Chinese : Zhu Yu Guatemala : Shimipampana Blanco Spanish : Ararú Hungarian : Bermudai Maranta India : Tikhor, Tikkor ( Hindi ) Cambodia : Daem Run Laos : Sa:kh’u Uruguay : Tubérculo De Maranta Malaysia : Ararut Vietnamese : Dong Củ Costa Rica : Rizoma De Maranta Papiamento : Ararut Turkish : Ararot Danish : Salepmaranta Portuguese : Agutiguepa Thailand : Sakhu ( Central ) |
| Plant Growth Habit | Clumping perennial herb |
| Growing Climate | Flourishes in warm, humid areas |
| Soil | Thrives in well-drained, alluvial and volcanic soils |
| Plant Size | 30–130 cm high |
| Stem | Erect slender stems |
| Rhizome Shape & Size | Sympodial, cylindric, fleshy, starchy and loosely scaly, about 25 cm long, and 13 cm in diameter (10 inches x 5 inches) |
| Rhizome Color | White, cream-white/light red |
| Flesh Color | White |
| Skin | Thin, light-brown skin |
| Flavor/aroma | Mild |
| Weight | about 30 to 50 g. |
| Leaf | Basal leaves are 4–8; cauline leaves 1–8; alternate, petiole 3.5–20 cm in basal leaves, often absent in cauline leaves; pulvinus 0.2–1.8 cm, glabrous, adaxially slightly tomentose; lamina ovate- oblong, 3.5–35 by 3–11 cm, pale-green, adaxially sparsely pilose, abaxially glabrous or sparsely pilose, base rounded to truncate, apex acuminate. |
| Flower | Flowers on common pedicel; sepals green, narrowly ovate, corolla white, tubular, base inflated, lobes 8–10 mm; staminodes white, obovate, ovary three-loculed, densely pubescent, to sub-glabrous. |
| Fruit | Green or reddish-brown tinged, dehiscent, subglobose capsule, 7–8 mm by 4–5 mm. |
| Seed | Brown, rugose with basal aril. |
| Major Nutrition | Vitamin B9 (Folate) 406 µg (101.50%) Iron, Fe 2.66 mg (33.25%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.319 mg (24.54%) Phosphorus, P 118 mg (16.86%) Copper, Cu 0.145 mg (16.11%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.172 mg (14.33%) Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2.032 mg (12.70%) Carbohydrate 16.07 g (12.36%) Potassium, K 545 mg (11.60%) Protein 5.09 g (10.18%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1cup (120gm) | 78 Kcal |