Yacon
Smallanthus sonchifolius
The yacón is a species of daisy traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina for its crisp, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots. Their texture and flavour are very similar to jícama, mainly differing in that yacón has some slightly sweet, resinous, and floral undertones to its flavour, probably due to the presence of inulin, which produces the sweet taste of the roots of elecampane, as well. Another name for yacón is Peruvian ground apple, possibly from the French name of potato, pomme de terre. The tuber is composed mostly of water and various polysaccharides.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
At a glance
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Water need
- Medium
- Mature height
- 1.8 m
- Maintenance
- Low
- Hardiness
- USDA 7–10
- Layers
- root, herb
Functional roles
Propagation
How to make more of this plant for free — the permaculture way.
When: Plant crowns spring
Sweet, crunchy, juicy tubers eaten raw; lift before hard frost and store the crowns.
Where to get it
Read more
Seed data pending expert review. Identification photo and description are sourced from Wikipedia/Wikimedia; always confirm a plant in person before eating any part of it.