Pachyrhizus erosus Seeds | Yam Bean
LATIN NAME: Pachyrhizus erosus
COMMON NAME: Yam Bean
Plant Profile
Yam Bean (Pachyrhizus erosus) grows as a climber in the pea family. It is a climber of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground. It is hard to name another plant that gives this much for this little trouble.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the pea family regularly include Pachyrhizus erosus in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. For practical purposes the message is encouraging: generations of cultivation have produced plants of predictable, well-mannered garden character.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Yam Bean for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Yam bean is a fine, quiet plant of warm garden and study collection. It is a fine, quiet plant of open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden. Yam bean seeds start well in a fine, sandy loam in a warm corner. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
Jicama’s crisp, sweet root is a vitamin-C-rich salad staple of Latin America; only the root is edible, since the seeds contain rotenone and are toxic.
Growing from Seed
Raising Yam Bean from seed is straightforward. Scatter the seed evenly over a loose seed compost, cover to no more than its own depth, and keep the pot moist and bright. Pot the young plants on as they grow, harden them off gradually, and plant them into their final positions when sturdy.
Our Take
Being a climber, it asks for a permanent spot and repays it yearly. Beginners will find it patient of imperfect technique.
Related Reading
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