198 Species in Genus Xanthosoma

Xanthosoma: My Fascination with the Genus

I’ve always been drawn to the unique and the beautiful, and that’s what initially attracted me to the Xanthosoma genus. These plants, with their striking foliage and intriguing forms, are a testament to the diversity and wonder of the natural world. As an enthusiast, I’ve spent countless hours studying their characteristics, cultivating them in my own garden, and marveling at their resilience and adaptability.

Understanding Xanthosoma

Xanthosoma are aroid plants native to tropical America. They’re characterized by their large, arrowhead-shaped leaves that come in a variety of colors, from deep greens to vibrant reds and even variegated patterns. These plants are not just visually appealing; they also hold cultural and economic significance in many regions. Some species are cultivated for their edible corms and leaves, providing a valuable source of nutrition.

Diversity within the Genus

One of the things that fascinates me most about Xanthosoma is the sheer diversity within the genus. Here are:

1. Xanthosoma acevedoi Croat & Delannay
2. Xanthosoma acutilobum Croat & Delannay
3. Xanthosoma acutum E.G.Gonç.
4. Xanthosoma akkermansii (G.S.Bunting) Croat
5. Xanthosoma alpayacuense Croat & L.P.Hannon
6. Xanthosoma amacayacuense Croat & Delannay
7. Xanthosoma anderssonii Croat
8. Xanthosoma aristeguietae (G.S.Bunting) Madison
9. Xanthosoma asplundii Croat & Delannay
10. Xanthosoma auriculatum Regel
11. Xanthosoma australe Croat & Delannay
12. Xanthosoma baguense Croat
13. Xanthosoma bakhuisense Croat & Delannay
14. Xanthosoma barbacoasense Croat & Delannay
15. Xanthosoma barbourii Croat & Delannay
16. Xanthosoma barinasense Croat & Delannay
17. Xanthosoma bayo G.S.Bunting
18. Xanthosoma belophyllum (Willd.) Kunth
19. Xanthosoma berlinii Croat & Delannay
20. Xanthosoma betancurii Croat & Delannay
21. Xanthosoma bilineatum Rusby
22. Xanthosoma blandum Schott
23. Xanthosoma bolivaranum G.S.Bunting
24. Xanthosoma brasiliense (Desf.) Engl.
25. Xanthosoma brevispathaceum Engl.
26. Xanthosoma buntingianum Croat & Delannay
27. Xanthosoma caladioides Grayum
28. Xanthosoma calcaense Croat & Delannay
29. Xanthosoma callejasii Croat & Delannay
30. Xanthosoma camposii Croat & Delannay
31. Xanthosoma caquetense Croat, Delannay & Edwin Trujillo
32. Xanthosoma caracu K.Koch & C.D.Bouché
33. Xanthosoma caucavallense Croat & Delannay
34. Xanthosoma caulotuberculatum G.S.Bunting
35. Xanthosoma ceronii Croat & L.P.Hannon
36. Xanthosoma cerrosapense Croat & O.Ortiz
37. Xanthosoma chaparense Croat & Delannay
38. Xanthosoma cinchonaense Croat & Delannay
39. Xanthosoma conspurcatum Schott
40. Xanthosoma contractum G.S.Bunting
41. Xanthosoma cordatum N.E.Br.
42. Xanthosoma cordifolium N.E.Br.
43. Xanthosoma corentynense Croat & Delannay
44. Xanthosoma crassilaminum Croat & L.P.Hannon
45. Xanthosoma crassinervium Croat & L.P.Hannon
46. Xanthosoma cremersii Croat & Delannay
47. Xanthosoma cubense (Schott) Schott
48. Xanthosoma cundinamarcense Croat & Delannay
49. Xanthosoma daguense Engl.
50. Xanthosoma danielsii Croat & Delannay
51. Xanthosoma daulense Croat & Delannay
52. Xanthosoma davidsmithii Croat & Delannay
53. Xanthosoma davidsonii Croat
54. Xanthosoma dealbatum Grayum
55. Xanthosoma debelliae Croat & Delannay
56. Xanthosoma delannayi Croat
57. Xanthosoma diazii Croat & Delannay
58. Xanthosoma dodsonii Croat
59. Xanthosoma eggersii (Engl.) Engl.
60. Xanthosoma epipetricum Croat & Delannay
61. Xanthosoma exiguum G.S.Bunting
62. Xanthosoma flavomaculatum Engl.
63. Xanthosoma fonnegrae Croat & Delannay
64. Xanthosoma foreroi Croat & Delannay
65. Xanthosoma fractum Madison
66. Xanthosoma fuentesii Croat & Delannay
67. Xanthosoma galianoi Croat & Delannay
68. Xanthosoma gillespieae Croat & Delannay
69. Xanthosoma giraldoi Croat, Delannay & E.Calderón
70. Xanthosoma gonzalezii Croat & Delannay
71. Xanthosoma granvillei Croat & Thomps.
72. Xanthosoma gratiae Cornejo & Croat
73. Xanthosoma grayumii Croat & Delannay
74. Xanthosoma guaramacalense Croat, Stergios & Delannay
75. Xanthosoma guayaquilense Delannay, Cornejo & Croat
76. Xanthosoma guttatum Croat & D.C.Bay
77. Xanthosoma hammelii Croat, Delannay & O.Ortiz
78. Xanthosoma hannoniae Croat
79. Xanthosoma harlingianum (Croat) Croat & L.P.Hannon
80. Xanthosoma hebetatum Croat & D.C.Bay
81. Xanthosoma helleborifolium (Jacq.) Schott
82. Xanthosoma herrerae Croat & P.Huang
83. Xanthosoma huilense Croat & Delannay
84. Xanthosoma hylaeae Engl. & K.Krause
85. Xanthosoma isabellanum Cornejo & Croat
86. Xanthosoma jaramilloi Croat & Delannay
87. Xanthosoma jatunsachense Croat, Delannay & Cerón
88. Xanthosoma jorgeramosii Croat & Delannay
89. Xanthosoma killipii Croat & Delannay
90. Xanthosoma knappiae Croat & Delannay
91. Xanthosoma kressii Croat & Delannay
92. Xanthosoma kvistii Croat & Delannay
93. Xanthosoma lagunaense Croat, Stergios & Delannay
94. Xanthosoma laselvaense Croat & Delannay
95. Xanthosoma latestigmatum Bogner & E.G.Gonç.
96. Xanthosoma liesneri Croat & Delannay
97. Xanthosoma linganii Croat & Delannay
98. Xanthosoma lojaense Croat & Delannay
99. Xanthosoma lojtnantii Croat & Delannay
100. Xanthosoma longepedunculum Croat & Delannay
101. Xanthosoma longilobum G.S.Bunting
102. Xanthosoma lucens E.G.Gonç.
103. Xanthosoma luteynii Croat & Delannay
104. Xanthosoma macarenense Croat & Delannay
105. Xanthosoma mafaffoides G.S.Bunting
106. Xanthosoma mansellii Croat & Delannay
107. Xanthosoma mariae Bogner & E.G.Gonç.
108. Xanthosoma mariquitense Croat & Delannay
109. Xanthosoma maroae G.S.Bunting
110. Xanthosoma mashpiense Croat & Delannay
111. Xanthosoma maximiliani Schott
112. Xanthosoma mendozae Matuda
113. Xanthosoma mexicanum Liebm.
114. Xanthosoma monteagudoi Croat & Delannay
115. Xanthosoma muluwataya Croat & Delannay
116. Xanthosoma munchiquense Croat & Delannay
117. Xanthosoma mutataense Croat & Delannay
118. Xanthosoma nambiense Croat & Delannay
119. Xanthosoma nangaritzense Croat & Delannay
120. Xanthosoma narinoense Bogner & L.P.Hannon
121. Xanthosoma nestorpazii Croat & Delannay
122. Xanthosoma nitidum G.S.Bunting
123. Xanthosoma nodosum Croat & V.Pellet.
124. Xanthosoma nowickii Croat & Delannay
125. Xanthosoma nunezii Croat & Delannay
126. Xanthosoma ollgaardii Croat & Delannay
127. Xanthosoma orinocense G.S.Bunting
128. Xanthosoma ortizii Croat
129. Xanthosoma oyuelae Croat & Delannay
130. Xanthosoma pailaense Croat & Delannay
131. Xanthosoma palaciosii Croat & Delannay
132. Xanthosoma palenquense Croat & Delannay
133. Xanthosoma panguiense Croat & Delannay
134. Xanthosoma paradoxum (Bogner & Mayo) Bogner
135. Xanthosoma pariense G.S.Bunting
136. Xanthosoma paruimaense Croat & Delannay
137. Xanthosoma pedatisectum E.G.Gonç.
138. Xanthosoma peltatum G.S.Bunting
139. Xanthosoma pennellii Croat & Delannay
140. Xanthosoma pentaphyllum (Schott) Engl.
141. Xanthosoma perssonii Delannay, Cornejo & Croat
142. Xanthosoma petaquillense Croat
143. Xanthosoma petersiae Croat, Delannay & Lingán
144. Xanthosoma piquambiense Croat, Scherber. & G.Ferry
145. Xanthosoma platylobum (Schott) Engl.
146. Xanthosoma plowmanii Bogner
147. Xanthosoma poecile (Schott) E.G.Gonç.
148. Xanthosoma poeppigii Schott
149. Xanthosoma pottii E.G.Gonç.
150. Xanthosoma puberulum Croat
151. Xanthosoma pubescens Poepp.
152. Xanthosoma pulcachense Croat & Delannay
153. Xanthosoma pulchrum E.G.Gonç.
154. Xanthosoma purpureomaculatum Croat & L.P.Hannon
155. Xanthosoma reinae Croat & Delannay
156. Xanthosoma renteriae Croat & Delannay
157. Xanthosoma reticulatum (Engl.) Croat & Delannay
158. Xanthosoma riedelianum (Schott) Schott
159. Xanthosoma riparium E.G.Gonç.
160. Xanthosoma robustum Schott
161. Xanthosoma rubrispathum E.G.Gonç.
162. Xanthosoma rupununiense Croat & Delannay
163. Xanthosoma sagittifolium (L.) Schott Plant FAQs: Xanthosoma Violaceum – Xanthosoma Sagittifolium – Blue Taro
164. Xanthosoma saguasense G.S.Bunting
165. Xanthosoma sandiaense Croat & Delannay
166. Xanthosoma sanintiae Croat & Delannay
167. Xanthosoma scherberichii Croat & Delannay
168. Xanthosoma schunkei Croat
169. Xanthosoma seideliae Croat
170. Xanthosoma silverstonei Croat
171. Xanthosoma sinnamaryense Croat & Delannay
172. Xanthosoma sizemoreae Croat & Delannay
173. Xanthosoma stenospathum Madison
174. Xanthosoma stergiosii Croat & Delannay
175. Xanthosoma striatipes (Kunth & C.D.Bouché) Madison
176. Xanthosoma striolatum Mart. ex Schott
177. Xanthosoma syngoniifolium Rusby
178. Xanthosoma tachiraense Croat & Delannay
179. Xanthosoma taioba E.G.Gonç.
180. Xanthosoma tarapotense Engl.
181. Xanthosoma thompsoniae Croat & Delannay
182. Xanthosoma trichophyllum K.Krause
183. Xanthosoma trilobum G.S.Bunting
184. Xanthosoma trinitense Croat & Delannay
185. Xanthosoma tuberculatum Croat & Delannay
186. Xanthosoma tuberquiae Croat & Delannay
187. Xanthosoma ucumariense Croat & Delannay
188. Xanthosoma ulei Engl.
189. Xanthosoma undipes (K.Koch & C.D.Bouché) K.Koch
190. Xanthosoma vargasii Croat & Delannay
191. Xanthosoma villaricense Croat, Delannay & Lingán
192. Xanthosoma viviparum Madison
193. Xanthosoma weeksii Madison
194. Xanthosoma wendlandii (Schott) Standl.
195. Xanthosoma wurdackii Croat, Delannay & G.S.Bunting
196. Xanthosoma yarumalense Croat & Delannay
197. Xanthosoma yucatanense Engl.
198. Xanthosoma zamoraense Croat & Delannay

Cultivating Xanthosoma

My own experience cultivating Xanthosoma has been incredibly rewarding. These plants are relatively low-maintenance and can thrive in a variety of conditions. They prefer well-draining soil and partial shade, but many species can tolerate full sun. Regular watering is essential, especially during hot summer months.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is protecting my Xanthosoma from pests. Slugs and snails seem particularly fond of their leaves. I’ve found that using organic pest control methods, such as copper tape and diatomaceous earth, can be effective in deterring these unwelcome visitors.

The Future of Xanthosoma

I believe that Xanthosoma has a bright future. As more people discover the beauty and versatility of these plants, their popularity is sure to grow. I’m excited to see how breeders and enthusiasts continue to develop new cultivars with even more striking colors and patterns.

Beyond their ornamental value, Xanthosoma also hold potential for contributing to food security, particularly in tropical regions. Their starchy corms are a good source of carbohydrates and can be prepared in a variety of ways. Further research into their nutritional value and cultivation methods could unlock even greater potential for these plants to play a role in sustainable agriculture.