Vines 2–5(–10) m; roots white to brownish, usually round and beet-shaped with distinct taproot, sometimes elongated, to 2–2.5 m. Leaves: leaflet blades ovate to rhombic or ovate-reniform, some­times broadly palmately 3- or 5-lobed, terminal blade often 5–8(–18) × 6–13(–20) cm, lateral blades smaller, margins entire or coarsely sinuate-dentate on distal 1/2. Inflorescences erect to spreading, 10–45(–70) cm. Pedicels 1–5 mm. Flowers: calyx 8–12 mm; corolla 14–22 mm, banner blue-violet to red-purple, white, or bicolored, suborbiculate. Legumes pale brown to olive green, 6–15 × 1–1.8 cm, strigose to glabrate. Seeds 5–10 mm, olive green to brown or reddish brown. 2n = 20, 22.

Phenology: Flowering Sep–Dec.
Habitat: introduced also widely in tropical and subtropical areas..
Elevation: 0–10 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Fla., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, introduced also widely in tropical and subtropical areas.

Discussion

In the flora area, Pachyrhizus erosus is known from Brevard and Miami-Dade counties.

In Mexico, Central America, southeast Asia, and China, Pachyrhizus erosus is a major food plant and source of starch, popular in salads, fresh fruit mixes, fruit bars, soups, and cooked dishes. Its sweet flavor comes from an oligosaccharide. In contrast to the roots, the stems and leaves are toxic, and the seeds contain rotenone, which is used as an insect and fish poison.

Morphological variation among apparent native races and cultivars is greatest in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Veracruz, and in Guatemala.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.