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Arracacia xanthorrhiza

Common name:	Arracacha	Family:	Umbelliferae
Author:	Bancr.	Botanical references:	1
Synonyms:	Conium arracacia, Arracacia esculenta (DC.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Northern S. America
Habitat:	Cool mountainous districts[2].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Conium arracacha[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Afio [E], Apio [E], Arracacha [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Dominican Republic; Haiti; Venezuela

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Condiment; Leaves; Root; Stem.

Tuber - cooked[22, 46, 61, 97, 171]. Very palatable and easily digested[1, 196], it is used as a staple food in some parts of S. America[2]. The root contains 10 - 25% starch, it is high in calcium and vitamin A[196]. It is used as a potato substitute, its flavour is between that of parsnips and sweet chestnuts with a hint of sweetness[2, 183]. The sweetness increases in storage[196]. The root is also used as the source of starch used in other foods[183]. The roots are harvested in the autumn and have a relatively short storage life[196].
Leaves. Used as a flavouring[177].
Young stems - raw or cooked as a vegetable[183, 196]. The stems are sometimes blanched and used like celery in salads[196].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a good loam. Grows best in a sandy loam with a pH in the range of 5 to 6, in areas with about 1000mm of rain a year, requiring a minimum rainfall of about 600mm[196]. Tolerates a pH in the range 6.3 to 6.8.
This species is not very hardy in Britain but it can be grown here as a half-hardy perennial, the roots being harvested in the autumn, stored overwinter in a cool frost-free place and planted out in the spring[1].
This species is often cultivated for its edible root in S. America, where there are many named varieties[2, 46, 61, 177]. Attempts in the 19th century to cultivate it as a commercial crop in Europe, however, were unsuccessful[2]. Plants take about 120 - 240 days from planting to produce a crop and 300 - 400 days to produce a crop of mature tubers[196]. At harvest time there can be as many as 10 tubers each the size of a carrot formed around the central root196]. One plant can yield 2 - 3 kg of edible roots, total yields of 40 tonnes per hectare are possible[196]. Preventing the plant from flowering can increase yields[196]. Plants might be sensitive to daylength, possibly requiring short days to initiate tuber production, and so may not be suitable for temperate climates. They also have a longer growing season than potatoes and are frost-tender so need a relatively long growing season[196].
Plants do not always produce viable seed in S. America[196].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Germination is often poor, less than 50%[196]. Since this species is believed to be a hybrid it will probably not breed true from seed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for the first year in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts.
Division. Harvest the roots in the autumn, store overwinter and plant out in the spring. The plant forms a clump of tubers around a central root, each tuber can be used to grow a new plant. Traditionally the base of the tuber is repeatedly slashed to stimulate shoots to form and encourage a uniform arrangement of lateral roots. They are then left for a few days to heal before planting them out[196].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[97] Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru.
A very interesting book covering quite a lot of information on plant uses in S. America although many of the plants are not suitable for temperate areas..

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[196] Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990 ISBN 0-309-04264-X
An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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