PlantFiles: Tapioca Plant, Cassava, Yuca, Manioc, Mandioca
Manihot esculenta

This is a nice decorative plant and I have planted it in my front yard as a small forest of privacy. It is easy to grow from cuttings. PLEASE NOTE:THIS PLANT IS POISONOUS. It must be prepared properly before it can be eaten. All of the moisture in the plant contains dangerous levels of poison. If you decide to prepare and eat it (usually served as a flat bread) please thoroughly research methods for extraction of the poisonous part.

I'm growing this successfully in 8b, but just barely. It's growing on the west side of my house, partially protected from the north. It does suffer some freeze damage in the winter, and so far has grown to about 15 ft. in two years. The green tips have frozen back and made it just that much bushier the following spring. This is the first year it has fruited, so I guess I need to "nip them in the bud" before they explode so I don't have palmbob's problem!

The wood tends to be kind of brittle, so if you have low branches and kids or pets, expect them to be broken kind of easily.

M. esculenta (cassava) is an important root crop in Latin America and Africa and is usually propogated via cuttings. It is difficult to start from seed, needing 'slash and burn' conditions and dry heat -- bare soil temps of 90F+ .

I think leaves in Palmbob's photos look more like the 'hardy' tapioca, M. grahamii.

a most beautiful small tree that comes back every year if frozen. very exotic. am researching recipes you will enjoy as yard or patio plant

I found this plant growing in a friends nursery and immediately asked what it was. I was really attracted to the foliage in that is is very unusual. I had to have one. I'm always on the lookout for what I like to call "Dr Seuss" plants...you know, things that look like they are sraight from a story of his. At any rate, he gave me the plant for free and it has grown so well. I aggree with what others have said in that when it blooms you can hear the bees working the flowers from a far distance. Mine has made a canopy shape and has done well in the winter time. Living near Houston Texas, our winters are usually mild so it has not experienced severe freezes, which I'm sure it could not survive. I have found young plants pop up in the most strange places and fairly far away from the mother plant. However it is simple to dig them up, place in a small pot and give it to friends. I have to rate this high in that for me and my location...it has been an awesome plant!

This plant is quite invasive in our area. My son has an allergic reaction to touching any part of the plant, so it falls to me to try to tame it.

Having grown up in Cuba, I'm quite familiar with yuca (cassava) and love to eat it, but frankly have not taken the trouble to dig and process the tubers for culinary purposes....we just want them out of here.....!

In Cuba (or anywhere a Cuban lives), boiled "yuca con mojo" is a very popular dish. This mojo is not to be confused with the mojito rum drink. Mojo sauce is a combination of olive oil, onions, garlic, cumin and sour orange or lime juice......it can be found bottled under several labels in Latino markets.

I don't grow it for the tubers, although since I like fried yuca I should dig some up and try to prepare them. I grow Manihot esculenta as a bold temporary fast growing screening or foliage backdrop plant. All I have to do is cut a mature stem into about 8 inch sections, stick them about halfway or more into the moist sand, and they have rooted and are sending out new shoots in a week or so. It grows about 6 to 8 feet in the first season, then from 8 to 12 feet after that. In winter, it loses its leaves and the stems die back, but not usually to the ground. But it is so lush in the summer. My plants have not produced seed, so I have not had a problem with seedlings coming up.

I fell in love with the Tapioca tri-color manihot/ cassava plant. They seem to be difficult to find, but are beautiful! They enjoy heat, moisture, and sun. They respond well to a balanced fertilizer and will reward you with vividly marked varigated leaves up to 12" across, attatched to the trunk by bright red stems. They seem to be fairly tolerant of pests here in South Florida, but are not tolerant of temperatures below 45 degrees. Cold temps cause gradual leaf drop, but trees should produce new leaves when the avg. temp remain above 60 degrees. They add so much color and tropical interest that I'm sure more people would enjoy them if they were more available. I am going to attempt to start some cuttings as my trees are getting rather tall (6' to 7') and would like to spread more of this color around. If anyone has had experience with cuttings or layering of this plant, I would love some advice. I will try to post some pictures of my tapioca's.

As a cautionary side note, the tubers must be properly prepared (steeped in water) before they can be eaten. In their raw state, they contain cyanide.

The large tubers of this tree are the source of tapioca and cassava. Cassava is the processed meal by grinding the cooked root and tapioca is the dried starch grains which after being re- hydrated, re-cooked and sweetened make a delicious pudding.