Yucca, cassava, guacamota or casava (Manihot esculenta). It is a perennial crop with high production of reserving roots, as a source of carbohydrates and foliage for the production of flours with a high percentage of protein. Due to the characteristics of this crop, it can be used in its whole length, the stem for vegetative propagation, the leaves to produce flour and its roots for consumption in different dishes, including cassava, agro-industry and export.
A bush between 2-3 m high with long tuberous roots. It has long stalkedalternating leaves, leaf blade 3-5 split, segments between 8-15 cm. long. Blossoms in branched bunches, females at the base with fewer calyx and shorter than males. Fruits in pod of about 1.5 cm. closely winged diameter. Native of South America. It is currently cultivated in tropical regions all over the world.
The root of the cassava is cylindrical and oblong, and reaches one meter in length and 10 cm in diameter. The shell is hard and woody, and inedible. The pulp is firm and even hard before cooking, furrowed by stiffer longitudinal fibres; very rich in carbohydrates and sugars, it oxidises rapidly once the bark is removed. Depending on the variety, it can be white or yellowish.
A shrub of 2-3 m in height, with elongated tuberous roots.
Alternate leaves long stalked, blade 3-5 split, segments 8-15 cm long. Flowers in ramified bunches, the feminine ones in the base, few with the calyx shorter than in the masculine ones. Fruit in capsule of about 1.5 cm. diameter closely winged. Native to South America. Currently its cultivation is widespread in tropical regions around the world.
