Curcuma caulina (Indian arrowroot)

Curcuma caulina is restricted to the state of Maharashtra in southwestern India. It is also widely cultivated (for the production of arrowroot starch) in some parts of Goa, Diu, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Curcuma caulina (Indian arrowroot) (Image: Dr Sachin A. Punekar, Biospheres)

Overview: An annual herb reaching a height of 50–120 cm. Numerous tubers, each about the size of an orange with white flesh and covered with fibrous roots, develop under the perennial rhizomes (underground stems).

Leaves: Up to 50 cm long, narrow at the base, with prominent veins.

Flowers: Yellow or white, 10–15 cm long, borne in a spike, with prominent greenish-white or pinkish-white bracts.

Indian arrowroot is listed as Vulnerable (VU) according to IUCN Red List criteria. Threats to the native, endemic-rich flora of the high elevation plateaus of Maharashtra include grazing, soil erosion, mining for iron and aluminium ores, tourism and private land development.

Curcuma caulina is being monitored as part of the IUCN Sampled Red List Index for Plants project, which aims to produce conservation assessments for a representative sample of the world’s plant species. This information will then be used to monitor trends in extinction risk and help focus conservation efforts where they are needed most.

Learn more about some of the plants that were assessed as part of this project

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The tubers of Indian arrowroot yield a white, edible starch that is used as a substitute for arrowroot (a starch normally obtained from Maranta arundinacea or Curcuma angustifolia). The tubers are harvested and scraped, washed, and then rubbed on a grater to produce a pulp. The pulp is washed with cold water, allowed to settle, and then washed again. The whole process is repeated until the sediment is pure white. It is then sun-dried and allowed to harden into a cake, which is then ground to a powder for use.

Pressed and dried specimens of other species of Curcuma are held in Kew’s Herbarium, where they are available to researchers from around the world, by appointment. The details of some of these can be seen online in Kew’s Herbarium Catalogue.

Search Kew’s science databases for more information on Curcuma caulina

Kew’s Sampled Red List Index for Plants project

eMonocot project

Zingiberaceae Resource Centre