Skip to content
sintropia.club
PT EN

Plants

bitter cassava

Manihot esculenta Crantz

Family: Euphorbiaceae · Genus: Manihot

bitter manioc

Placenta II Low Fertilizer biomass
no rights reserved · CC0 · iNaturalist

Cultivar group of Manihot esculenta with high cyanogenic glycoside content (>100 mg HCN/kg fresh root). Unsafe for direct consumption — requires roasting, drying, or fermentation. Foundation of cassava flour, polvilho, and tucupi/tapioca. More productive and pest-resistant than sweet cassava. Plays the same pioneer role in syntropic systems but with a different product.

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Manihot esculenta var. amara

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta II
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Low
Strata
Low
Biomass class
Fertilizer biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
High
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
4.5–7
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Sandy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
9–13

Morphology

Mature height
1.5–3 m
Recommended spacing
1–1.5 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Medium
Growth rate
Fast
Lifespan
1–2 years
Time to first harvest
12 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Bitter cassava takes the Low stratum in the Placenta II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

Design my guild

Free account — and the catalog stays open, no sign-up needed.

Emergent High Medium Low · ≈3 m Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Spacing 1×1 m to 1×2 m. Propagated by stem cuttings (manivas). Cycle 12–24 months. Tolerates poor and acidic soils. Raw roots are unsafe — cyanide intoxication risk.

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of bitter cassava?

The first harvest of bitter cassava comes around 12 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for bitter cassava?

The recommended spacing for bitter cassava is 1–1.5 m.

How tall does bitter cassava grow?

At maturity, bitter cassava reaches 1.5–3 m tall.

What stage and stratum does bitter cassava occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, bitter cassava belongs to the placenta ii stage, occupying the low stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit

Propagation

Cutting

Citations

  1. Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura — Cultivares de mandioca (description)
  2. PFAF Plant Database — Manihot esculenta (root_system, root_depth, waterlogging_tolerance, drought_tolerance)

External references

Continue exploring

Related plants