Ceara Rubber Tree (Manihot carthaginensis glaziovii)

Family: Euphorbiaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Manihot carthaginensis glaziovii is a deciduous Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

rich in starch but it is hard and woody. — Eaten as a vegetable.; The leaves contain hydrocyanic acid, which is toxic, but it is destroyed by heat and so the cooked leaves are safe to eat.; A famine food, it is eaten in times of food scarcity.; The root is rich in starch but it is hard and woody.

Habitat & North American Range

Often left behind as a relict of cultivation and therefore found in scrubs, secondary forest and waste places along roads and rivers, near paddies, old cultivated fields. Also found occasionally in dense, primary forests. (Zone 10)