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Jicama
葉子, CC0, via iNaturalist

Legumes: pea and bean family

Jicama

Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb.

Names

EnglishJicama
DutchYamboon
SpanishJícama
Chinese沙葛
Scientific namePachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb.

About this species

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.

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Classification

KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusPachyrhizus

In Suriname

2Records in Suriname
2013First record

Where it has been recorded

  • Commewijne2

Districts with at least one record that has coordinates. Shaded districts have records.

Sources & credits

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Related species in Suriname