Manihot esculenta | Dried Botanical ID

Name and publication

Manihot esculenta Crantz, Inst. Rei herb. 1: 167 (1766).

Description

Root slides of cassava, sold as “tapicon slices” in the potpourri trade, are round with a wrinkled, beige skin with a spongy but woody, uniform, beige interior, 2-6 cm in diameter.

Nativity and distribution

Manihot esculenta is native to South America but widely cultivated throughout the tropics.

Family

Euphorbiaceae

flat root slices; photo © The Lebermuth Company, Inc.	curled root slice, top view; photo by Lyndon Photography
curled root slice, bottom view; photo by Lyndon Photography	curled root slice, side view; photo by Lyndon Photography
curled root slice; photo by Christina Southwick	curled root slice; photo by Christina Southwick
curled root slice; photo by Christina Southwick