Pua
Pua – Curcuma longa
Perennial plant with intense orange tubers. Lanceolate leaves of uniform green color. The flowers are dull yellow. It is propagated by root cuttings. When fresh, the roots have an aromatic and spicy fragrance.
Importance
The orange pigment extracted from its tubers was used in ancient times to dye the layers of mahute fibers. Another variant was to obtain a paste by chewing, which was used in body painting. It would also have had curative properties to treat a type of oral foot and mouth disease.
Propagation
It reproduces by rhizomes, in slow processes. The project between the Catholic University of Valparaíso and CONAF reproduced hundreds of specimens in laboratories on the continent, from which it has continued to spread by rhizomes.
Ecology
Subspontaneous in the natural environment, in humid and protected places. But wild specimens have not been observed for years.
Conservation
It is still classified as Vulnerable by the Chilean Ministry of the Environment, but thanks to the project between the Catholic University of Valparaíso and CONAF, hundreds of specimens are currently propagated and delivered to the community each year.
Distribution
Probably native to India, widely cultivated in the world and introduced early to the Pacific Islands.
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