Manihot (Noun)
Meaning
Genus of economically important tropical plants: cassava.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Manihot is a genus of about a hundred species of dikotyledonous plants in the Euphorbiaceae family, mostly native to the American tropics.
- Some species within the genus Manihot are grown for edible tubers, a staple food in many tropical countries.
- Cassava or Manihot esculenta is the only commercially cultivated species among this genus.
- Members of Manihot are distinguished from other Euphorbiaceae species by the unique compound leaves which resemble human hands with pointed fingers.
- In various parts of the world, Manihot is a valuable and widespread crop, as cassava can grow well even in less fertile soils.