The arrowroot a plant that thrives in a moist to wet habitat, and is found worldwide in temperate zones and in the tropics. It has arrow-shaped leaves that are approximately 1 foot long and 4 inches wide, few white flowers, and potato-like tubers most often found in mud. The branced stems grow up to 6 feet tall. The jointed, light yellow rhizome roots are typically harvested after one year of growth. The Arrowroot is primarily harvested for its rich, high quality starch. You can simply boil the rootstock and eat it as a vegetable, or harvest the starch by first, soaking the roots in water, which makes their tough, fibrous covering easier to peel off. Once peeled, the remaining starchy tissue is then beaten into a pulp. The pulp is rinsed with water many times to separate the starch from the residual fiber. The liquid pulp is allowed to dry; the powder that remains is starch.
Care should be taken not to confuse this plant with the similar looking Arum, which also sometimes grows in the same environment. The most sure way to tell them apart is the leaves, which in the Arrowroot have parallel venation in each of the 3 lobes. The Arum has pinnate veins in the 3 lobes.
Arrowroot
The arrowroot a plant that thrives in a moist to wet habitat, and is found worldwide in temperate zones and in the tropics. It has arrow-shaped leaves that are approximately 1 foot long and 4 inches wide, few white flowers, and potato-like tubers most often found in mud. The branced stems grow up to 6 feet tall. The jointed, light yellow rhizome roots are typically harvested after one year of growth. The Arrowroot is primarily harvested for its rich, high quality starch. You can simply boil the rootstock and eat it as a vegetable, or harvest the starch by first, soaking the roots in water, which makes their tough, fibrous covering easier to peel off. Once peeled, the remaining starchy tissue is then beaten into a pulp. The pulp is rinsed with water many times to separate the starch from the residual fiber. The liquid pulp is allowed to dry; the powder that remains is starch.
Care should be taken not to confuse this plant with the similar looking Arum, which also sometimes grows in the same environment. The most sure way to tell them apart is the leaves, which in the Arrowroot have parallel venation in each of the 3 lobes. The Arum has pinnate veins in the 3 lobes.