Manihot esculenta (
commonly called cassava ,
Brazilian arrowroot,
manioc, and
tapioca) is a woody
shrub native to
South America of the
spurge family,
Euphorbiaceae. It is extensively cultivated as an annual
crop in
tropical and
subtropical regions for its edible
starchy tuberous root, a major source of
carbohydrates. Though it is sometimes called
yuca in Spanish, it differs from the
yucca, an unrelated fruit-bearing shrub in the family
Asparagaceae. Cassava, when dried to a powdery (or pearly) extract, is called
tapioca; its fermented, flaky version is named
garri.