[4] Common names for X. sagittifolium include tannia, new cocoyam, arrowleaf elephant's ear, American taro, yautía, malanga,[5][6] and uncucha.

The leaves of the tannia plant find common culinary use as a leafy green, similar to spinach.

In contrast, primary corms are typically designated for animal feed rather than human consumption because of the higher amount of oxalates.

The plant is often interplanted within reforestation areas to control weeds and provide shade during the early stages of growth.

The shredded root is baked with chicken, fruit juices, salted meat, and spices in the popular Surinamese dish, pom.

[14] A big problem of tannia is the low storability because of the high moisture content of the corms and cormels.

[15] Especially the white fleshed variety provides flour that has qualities that are great for making bread, since the resulting paste is not as cohesive and can therefore be used for the preparation of different foods.

[16] Studies have shown that it’s possible to replace up to 45% of the maize grain in chicken feed with tannia corn meal (TCM).

[10] Studies with rats have shown that tannia leaves could protect from cardiovascular diseases[18] and bowel cancer.

Studies have shown that the usage of tannia indeed is a feasible option for treatment for poorer communities without access to proper medication.

[20] Cocoa trees can grow in direct sunlight, but in some climates, the intense light in the afternoon can damage the leaves.

Tannia has many leaves which makes it a good candidate for a cover crop that can protect the cocoa plant from direct sunlight.

[21] Xanthosoma sagittifolium is an adaptable plant that grows optimally in warm and humid conditions and temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius.

[22] It is noteworthy that tannia is one of the most shade-tolerant plants, which allows successful cultivation in traditional Agroforestry systems and facilitates intercropping with perennial crops such as bananas, cocoas or oil palms.

These propagating materials are typically planted at a depth of 7–10 cm, ideally with the growth bud pointing downward.

[24] During this time, it produces a large stem called a corm, which is surrounded by smaller edible cormels about the size of potatoes.

During the growth cycle, a plant typically produces approximately 40-50 leaves, which are usually harvested within a 40-50 day period.

[22] Mature cormels can be harvested continuously over an extended period of time, often exceeding 500 days, while the primary mother plant remains in the ground to produce a new crop.

After harvesting, the corms are cured to slow down the rate of physiological and pathological decay of the tuber, which would result in loss of quality.

[26] However, the presence of calcium oxalate must be considered,[citation needed] a compound known to irritate mucous membranes, resulting in crystalline deposits commonly referred to as crystal sand.

The pathogens can persist for a long time in the soil, often forcing farmers to give up planting tannia in infected fields for at least five years.

By contrast, in taro (Colocasia esculenta), a related and similar-looking crop plant, this is a major disease problem.