Malaysia 2009 Tuber Plants

30 sen ● Ipomoe batatas ( keledek )

Keledek or sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae, native to the tropical America.

Sweet potatoes were first introduced to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period (1521-1598) via the Manila galleons, along with other New World crops.  It was introduced to the Fujian province of China in about 1594 from Luzon.

Sweet potatoes were introduced to the Ryukyu Kingdom, present-day Okinawa, Japan, in the early 1600s by the Portuguese.

Sweet potato is often cut into small cubes and cooked with taro and coconut milk (santan) to make a sweet dessert called bubur cha cha .  A favorite way of cooking sweet potato is deep frying slices of sweet potato in batter, or simply  boiled. The leaves are usually stir-fried with only garlic or with sambal belacan and dried shrimp.

30 sen ● Manihot esculenta ( ubi kayu )

Manihot esculenta, commonly called cassava, is a woody shrub native to South America of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae.

Cassava was introduced to Africa by Portuguese traders from Brazil in the 16th century. Around the same period, it was also introduced to Asia by Portuguese and Spanish traders, planted in their colonies in Goa, Malacca, Eastern Indonesia, Timor and the Philippines.

Cassava leaves is boiled and eaten with sambal (shrimp paste) or tempoyak (fermented durian), cooked with  pork, chicken, fish, or snake in a large bamboo stick (pansoh ), gulai daun ubi.or masak lemak pukuk ubi.  Cassava is also processed into chips ( kerepek ubi ) and tapai ( fermented tapioca ).

50 sen ● Pachyrhizus erosus ( sengkuang )

Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jicama, is is a species in the genus Pachyrhizus in the bean family (Fabaceae).

Spaniards spread cultivation of jícama from Mexico to the Philippines, from there it went to China and other parts of Southeast Asia.

It is often eaten fresh in local salad called rojak.   It is also cooked stirfried, or as an ingredient in making baozi and springrolls.

50 sen ●  Dioscorea alata ( ubi badak )

Dioscorea alata, also known as purple yam, is originated from  the Asian tropics.

Miniature Sheet RM3 ●  Colacasia esculenta ( keladi )

Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant of the family Araceae.

Keladi is often made into kueh keladi, or cooked with other ingredients in bubur cha cha.  It is also cooked as a savory dish with dried shrimps.

Technical Details

Date of Issue 23-Jul-2009

Stamp Value : 30sen (2 designs); 50 sen (2 designs)

Sheet Content : 20 Stamps

Paper : Phosphor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

Printer : Percetakan Keselamatan Sdn Bhd

Stamp Designer : World Communications Network Resources (M) Sdn Bhd