Variegated Tapioca Plant (Manihot)

Add some tropical flair to your garden with variegated tapioca plant (Manihot esculenta ‘Variegata’), aka Cassava. Variegated tapioca is a spectacular foliage plant (zone 8 – 11) which excels as summer’s heat and humidity arrives and lingers.

Tapioca plant is not likely to be sold in every garden center and you’ll likely need to order one or more on-line. Young 12-18 inch tall plants grow to 5-6 feet tall and wide by late summer in full sun or partial sun (6 hours minimum). The first hard frost in autumn will kill this tropical plant.

Set out plants in mid- to late spring when all danger of frost has passed. Once temperatures climb into the seventy (70°F) plus degree range, plants will shoot up quickly. Tapioca plant thrives in poor soils and needs little attention once it becomes established after 4-5 weeks. Plant growth does excel with backup irrigation during long dry spells. Feed with a slow-release fertilizer at time of spring planting.

Its striking creamy yellow splashed foliage is a real eye catcher. It looks good in containers or in garden beds. Here in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA hardness zones 6 and 7), it is grown as an annual as it will not overwinter outdoors. Tapioca plant can be grown in large outdoor containers and brought indoors in early fall. Plants are cut back severely to fit inside a room to re-sprout.

Cassava is native to South America but is cultivated in tropical and subtropical zones throughout the world. It is one of the most important tropical food crops in the world. It requires at least 8 months of frost-free weather to produce usable roots. Cassava  (tapioca) roots are poisonous and must be properly cooked to become edible.