Morphological Comparison of Five Varieties of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott in Anambra State, Southeastern Nigeria

Abstract

Comparative morphological study of five varieties of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott present in Anambra State, Nigeria was carried out, in order to furnish plant taxonomists with information which could be of great help in delimitation of the varieties. Significant difference was established at p < 0.05. The result showed that adaxial surface of “kochuo” had a purplish dot on the centre, abaxial leaf surface had a conspicuous purplish colour at the point of attachment to the leaf, and the cormels had numerous striking vertical purple stripes on the surface. There was presence of foliaceous (leaf-like) appendages at the veins of the abaxial surface of the leaf of “ogeriobosi”. The leaf length ranged from 35.6 ± 7.70 cm (“kochuo”) to 49.9 ± 3.55 cm (“ogeriobosi”). Petiole length of “ogeriobosi” was the highest (63.3 ± 3.83 cm), whereas the least was Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum (26.67 ± 2.20 cm). The corm length ranged from 4.10 ± 0.10 cm (Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum) to 8.60 ± 0.35 cm (“ogeriobosi”), while the cormel length ranged from 3.70 ± 0.96 cm (Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum) to 7.03 ± 0.36 cm (“ogeriobosi”). This work has revealed diagnostic and differential morphological characters, which could be useful for identification and description of varieties of C. esculenta. In addition, it provided additional information which might be helpful in resolving the on-going controversy in the taxonomy of Colocasia, which would, in turn, probably lead to possible delimitation of C. esculenta.