What is this plant stuck in the ground for rooting?
While traveling, I saw these strange sticks stuck in the ground for rooting (in Laos). Can you identify this plant (shrub)? What is it used for? Unfortunately I don’t have a photo with leaves, only the stems (branches).
Thank you!
This is Cassava or Tapioca plant stem without the leaves. Once the roots are harvested short cut stem pieces are used for new plant growth.
Manihot esculenta (commonly called Cassava (Brazilian arrowroot, Manioc, Tapioca, and Yuca) is a woody shrub native to South America of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. Cassava is the third largest source of food carbohydrates in the tropics, after rice and maize.
Cassava, when dried to a powdery (or pearly) extract, is called tapioca; its fermented, flaky version is named garri.
