Pachyrhizus erosus, commonly known as jícama ( or ; Spanish: jícama [ˈxikama] ; from Nahuatl languages: xīcamatl [ʃiːˈkamatɬ]) or Mexican turnip, is a native Mesoamerican vine, although the name jícama most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. It is in the pea family (Fabaceae). Pachyrhizus tuberosus and Pachyrhizus ahipa are the other two cultivated species in the genus. The naming of this group of edible plants can sometimes be confusing, with much overlap of similar, or the same, common names.
Flowers, either blue or white, and pods similar to peas, are produced on fully developed plants. Several species of Pachyrhizus are known as jícama, but the one found in many markets is P. erosus. The two cultivated forms of P. erosus are jícama de agua and jícama de leche, both named for the consistency of their juice. The leche form has an elongated root and milky juice, while the agua form has a top-shaped to oblate root and a more watery, translucent juice and is the preferred form for the market.
Description
Fresh jícama for sale at a farmers' market
Jícama
The jícama vine can reach a height of 4–5 metres (13–16 feet) given suitable support. Its root can attain lengths up to
Taxonomy
Other names for jícama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese potato, and sweet turnip. In Ecuador and Peru, the name jícama is used for the unrelated yacón or Peruvian ground apple, a sunflower-family plant whose tubers are also used as food.
