Tahitian
General Characteristics: Medium in height, moderately spreading, stocky, maturing within 9 to 12 months, producing from 2 to 5 oha; similar to Manapika but with much lighter petioles and leaf blades.
Petiole: 70 to 85 cm. long, rigid, light yellowish-green, indistinctly pale pinkish to whitish at edge, light reddish-purple at apex, white for 3 to 4 cm. above base, abruptly curved at apex.
Leaf blade: 45 to 55 cm. long, 30 to 35 cm. wide, 35 to 40 cm. from tip to base of sinus, sagittate, vertical, light green; margins slightly undulate; piko conspicuously blotched with dark purple, running into veins; veins reddish on lower surface of lobes; lobes acute with deep, wide sinus.
Corm: Flesh white with yellowish fibers; skin cream-colored.
Inflorescence: Peduncle light green; spathe about 30 cm. long, the lower tubular portion about 5 cm. long, light green with purplish area at base, the upper portion yellow, rather widely open at base upon maturity.
Origin, and derivation of name: Introduced by Wilder from Tahiti; no name has been found for this variety so it has merely been called "Tahitian."
Distribution: Little-known variety of limited distribution.
Use: Mainly as a table taro.
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