A. tuberosa, as the name suggests, also produces a tuberous root and this is edible when cooked, with a nutty flavour. The seed of all species are said to be edible raw but we have not tried them, they certainly do look very interesting. All these edible qualities, though, are just one aspect of the plants uses, they have much more to offer. All the species produce a tough fibre in their stems. This can be used to make cloth, twine, etc and was traditionally harvested from the dead stems in autumn and winter, a fairly simple process.
Dry summers produce the strongest fibres.
Mature seed pods contain quite large quantities of floss. This is a lovely white silky material with a number of applications. It can be used as a kapok substitute for stuffing soft toys etc, and being very water repellant, it has been used in life preservers where its buoyancy can keep a person afloat for days. Although difficult to spin on its own, it can be mixed with other fibres to make cloth and it has also been used for making candle wicks. The plants also contains a latex which can be extracted and made into a good quality rubber.