Lasimorpha senegalensis Schott

A large herb. It is a taro family plant. It has a large rootstock. The underground suckers lead to large clumps. It keeps growing from year to year. It has large spear shaped leaves. The leaf stalks have prickles. The leaf stalks are 1.7 m long. The leaf blade is 20-50 cm long by 15-30 cm wide. The lobes at the base taper. The flowering stalk and spathe is 4 m tall. The flowers have both sexes tightly packed on a spadix. The fruit is an irregular round berry. These are 1.5 cm long and red with 1-4 seeds.

Edges of swamp forest, along slow-flowing streams, in ditches and ponds, often very abundant.

The leaves are used as flavouring in sauces and other foods. They are also used as food wrappers. The young leaves are also eaten as a vegetable. The plant roots are burnt to ash to produce a vegetable salt. Caution: Most plants in this group can have oxalate crystals.

Plants can be grown from seed. Plants can also be grown by division.