Telotaun (Manihot carthagenensis)

Telotaun (Manihot carthagenensis) is a plant species in Euphorbiaceae, trees or shrubs 2-10 m tall, erect and fibrous, white latex, leaves varying with the subspecies noted are Manihot carthagenensis ssp. carthagenensis, Manihot carthagenensis ssp. glaziovii and Manihot carthagenensis ssp. hahnii.

M. carthagenensis has an erect stem, a tubular shape, a young stem which is bright green and covered in white wax, an old stem that has a thin layer of brown skin. Long leaf stems and white waxy, arranged alternately, growing in all directions, green on the bottom and redish on the top.

Leaves have 3-7 fingers each up to 25 cm long and up to 15 cm wide, ellipses become obovoid, sometimes pandurate and apex acute. Each leaf finger has a bone in the middle that moves linearly with some pinnate bones.

The upper surface is green and slightly shiny, the lower surface is whitish green. The base of the leaf is centered at the end of the stalk, the pointed end which ends at the head of the spear and the flat margins.

The flower has five leaves and is whitish green. The fruit is round or elliptical and green. Elliptical seeds. Telotaun grows on neglected lands, slopes, limestone landscapes and is easily adaptable.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Manihot
Species: Manihot carthagenensis
Subspecies: Manihot carthagenensis ssp. carthagenensis, Manihot carthagenensis ssp. glaziovii, Manihot carthagenensis ssp. hahnii

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