Rukh Alu / रुखालू / Hitchhiker Elephant Ear / Remusatia vivipara

Other Names

  • Local Name: Rukh Alu / रुखालू
  • Common Name: Hitchhiker Elephant Ear
  • Botanical Name: Remusatia vivipara

Status & Habitat

  • Habitat: Herb
  • Occurrence: Subtropical forests, on rocks, cliff edges around 700m-1900m above sea level
  • Season of Availability: Year-round
  • Geography: Worldwide
  • Method of Propagation: Vegetative propagation
  • Part used for Propagation: Through Bulbils that attach like hooks to feathers of birds

Edible Parts

  • Edible Parts: Leaves & Stem
  • Can be Eaten Raw: No

Method of Consumption

  • Raw: No
  • Ripe: N/A
  • Both Raw & Ripe: N/A
  • Dangerous Form to Consume: Raw plant
  • As Food: Tubers are boiled or roasted before eating and made into curries or cooked with other vegetables
  • As Medicine: Root juice is applied to wounds to remove any germs
  • Cooking Without Prior Boiling: Needs to be Roasted or Boiled
  • Boiling Before Cooking: Yes
  • Pickling: N/A
  • Brining: N/A
  • Fermenting: N/A
  • Drying for later Consumption: N/A
  • Overall Method: Leaves and tubers must be cooked before eating, eg: by boiling.

Nutritional & Medicinal Benefits

  • Nutritional Benefit: Contains flavonoids.
  • Medicinal Benefit: Anti-bacterial, Wounds and cuts

Tribal Wisdom

  • Tribal Wisdom: Root juice is applied to wounds to remove any germs

Recipes / Usage

  • Tribal Recipe / Usage: Leaves are boiled with coconut milk to make a soup.