Pharmaceutical companies specializing in the manufacture of baby foods import large quantities of a light but nutritious flour known as arrowroot. This flour is obtained from the Maranta arundinacea, a beautiful herbaceous plant originally from the tropical regions of America. Today the arrowroot plant is also grown in India and parts of Africa.
The nutritive parts of the Maranta are found in the large underground roots or rhizomes. These have a high starch content, as well as some protein and salts, and are prepared in different ways as food by the natives of the region.
The Maranta also has another fine feature; a magnificent clump of shiny leaves that makes the plant very ornamental. This clump of leaves is a common feature in all the plants of this family which includes some species.
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