Arrowroot

For decades Saint Vincent was the world’s largest producer of arrowroot – a delicate starch from the rhizomes of this plant.

A perennial herbaceous plant of the prayer-plant family, growing to about 1–1.5 m, with lance-shaped leaves and small white flowers. Underground it forms thick white rhizomes which, when crushed and washed, yield a very fine, easily digestible starch called arrowroot. It is used to thicken sauces and desserts, in biscuits and in baby food. The species comes from tropical America, and its name is linked to the former use of the rhizomes to treat wounds from poisoned arrows.

Significance in the country

In the 20th century Saint Vincent supplied most of the world’s arrowroot, and the island’s starch was used for purposes including the manufacture of computer paper; cultivation survives on a smaller scale on the north-east coast.

Where it grows

Mainly in the parish of Charlotte on the north-eastern, windward coast of Saint Vincent, around Georgetown and Owia, where there is an arrowroot processing factory.

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