Alocasia macrorrhizos
Alocasia macrorrhizos is a species of flowering plant in the arum family (Araceae) that it is native to rainforests of Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland[1] and has long been cultivated in the Philippines, many Pacific islands, and elsewhere in the tropics. Common names include giant taro,[2] ʻape, giant alocasia, biga,[3] and pia.[4] In Australia it is known as the cunjevoi[4] (a term which also refers to a marine animal).
The giant taro was originally domesticated in the Philippines, but are known from wild specimens to early Austronesians in Taiwan. From the Philippines, they spread outwards to the rest of Island Southeast Asia and eastward to Oceania where it became one of the staple crops of Pacific Islanders.[5][6] They are one of the four main species of aroids (taros) cultivated by Austronesians primarily as a source of starch, the others being Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, Colocasia esculenta, and Cyrtosperma merkusii, each with multiple cultivated varieties. Their leaves and stems are also edible if cooked thoroughly, though this is rarely done for giant taro as it contains higher amounts of raphides which cause itching.[7][8]
The reconstructed word for giant taro in Proto-Austronesian is *biRaq, which became Proto-Oceanic *piRaq. Modern cognates in Island Southeast Asia and Micronesia include Rukai vi’a or bi’a; Ifugao bila; Ilocano, Cebuano, and Bikol biga; Tiruray bira; Ngaju biha; Malagasy via; Malay and Acehnese birah; Mongondow biga; Palauan bísə; Chamorro piga; Bima wia; Roti and Tetun fia; Asilulu hila; and Kowiai fira. In Oceania, cognates for it include Wuvulu and Aua pia; Motu and ‘Are’are hira; Kilivila and Fijian via; and Hawaiian pia. Note that in some cases, the cognates have shifted to mean other types of taro.[9][5]
Indigenous Australian names included pitchu in the Burnett River (Queensland); cunjevoi (South Queensland); hakkin Rockhampton (Queensland); bargadga or nargan of the Cleveland Bay.[10] The Yugarabul word for the plant, bundal,[11] is also where the name of the suburb Boondall is derived from.
