Arrowroot is a small, attractive, shade-loving plant that produces an edible tuber. The white, bract covered tubers grow as long as a medium size sweet potato, but are much more narrow. Dig up the tubers in the winter when the plant has gone dormant. Store them in a cool dry place until use. Plant some of them in the spring to provide next year’s crop. Rodents may eat tubers left in the ground.

Arrowroot Plant

This is the plant used to make the expensive powder you can get at the store for use as a thickening agent in cooking. You don’t have to extract the starch to enjoy this root vegetable. Simply peal the bracts off, cut it up and cook it in soups and stews. They can also be candied.

Arrow Root

pdf – Arrowroot Information Sheet
(to print out)