| Alocasia odora | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Subfamily: | Aroideae |
| Tribe: | Colocasieae |
| Genus: | Alocasia |
| Species: | A. odora |
| Binomial name | |
| Alocasia odora |
|
Alocasia odora (also called Night-scented Lily or giant upright elephant ear, and commonly known in Vietnamese as bạc hà or dọc mùng); in Lao the plant known as thon toon (ຕົ້ນທູນ), the stalk known as khan toon ( ກ້ານທູນ) is a flowering plant native to Asia.
Its stems are used as a green vegetable in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, and often used to flavor soups (such as canh chua) or stir fried dishes. Bac ha stems should not be consumed raw. It is usually peeled and boiled, sold either frozen, bagged in its own liquids, or canned. The plant is actually inedible when raw because of needle-shaped raphides (calcium oxalate crystals) in the plant cells.
Typical of leaf vegetables, bac ha or "taro stem" leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and zinc, and a very good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, copper, and manganese. Taro corms are very high in starch, and are a good source of dietary fiber. Oxalic acid may be present in the corm and especially in the leaf
The plant is a member of the genus Alocasia, and is thus related to taro.