On a hike to an arecanut plantation in Ambuthirtha, my relatives pointed to a plant growing high up on a host tree. As we were peering to see it and take pictures, we got to know that this plant is known as Mara Kesavu and various dishes are prepared using the leaves of this plant.
Other names of the plant are Lalkand in Hindi, Kaadu Gadde and Mara Kesavu in Kannada, Laksmana in Sanskrit. The botanical name is Remusatia vivipara and belongs to Araceae (Arum) family. . It is found in West Africa, Himalayas, Western Ghats, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, and Java.
Hitchhiker Elephant Ear plant grows from a tuber and is a erect plant. Leaves are large, green, glossy, oblong-ovate. The leaves have intramarginal vein. A flower is seen even before you can see the leaves. Flower is yellow with a stalk of 6 to 12 cm long. Flowering is from April to September.
The foliage disappears in winter and reappears after the first monsoon rain.
The uniqueness of using the Hitchhiker Elephant Ear leaves in dishes is that they do not cause itchiness and hence can avoid adding Tamarind to the dish.
