General Information

COMMON NAMES: Yam Bean, Yambean, Jicama ["hee-cama"], Mexican Turnip, Mexican Potato, Jerusalem Artichoke, Sagott, Chopsui Potato GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Mexico - n.C.America; EXOTIC circumtropical (incl. Fiji - Socities, Hawai‘i) COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (c.1990), not naturalised; S.Group only (MT only, formerly RR); Land, lowlands, horticulture SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (root 0); Poisonous (leaves, mature seeds) KEY FEATURES: Perennial vine to 5m with edible tuber to 30cmØ. Leaves alternate, with 3 large wide-oval to rhomboid leaflets (to 20x20cm). Flowers pea-like, w. blue to purple petals. Pod to 15x2cm, c.12 pale brown to black seeds.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
X	-	-	-	+	-	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Pachyrhizus erosus QQ Linnaeus
Query: tentative ID of a Mitiaro plant (G McC)

SYNONYMS: Dolichos erosus [O]; Pachyrrhizus erosus [alternate spelling]; Pachyrhizus angulatus; Pachyrhizus palmatilobus

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); FABACEAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food (root 0). Comments: Elsewhere, rarely in the Cook Islands. Root has crisp white flesh (10% starch), eaten raw or cooked with eggs or meat; young pod has irritant hairs but is eaten as a cooked vegetable.
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Poisonous (leaves, mature seeds). Comments: Leaves and mature seeds are poisonous to people and stock.

IDENTIFICATION: Perennial climbing-sprawling vine to 5m. ROOT tuberous, turnip-shaped, to 30cmØ. STEM hairy. LEAVES alternate, compound, 3-leaflets; LEAFLETS short haris; wide-oval to rhomboid to 20x20cm, often toothed or lobed. FLOWERS long cluster to 70cm; pea-like, to 2cm, petals blue to purple, standard white w/wo basal green blotch. FRUIT flat pod, straight or curved, to 15x2cm, up to 12 seeds. SEEDS flattened round to square; pale brown to black, 10x10x4mm.

Vouchers:
Mitiaro: fieldspecimen_+photo, 2001, NBSAP, ID GMcC with Pestnet help.

References:
p.689 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.468 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.809 Hortus 3rd
p.829 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.3/224 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03b, zD02

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