Ysaño
Family Tropaeolaceae
Tropaeolum tuberosum, the ysaño (T. tuberosum 1), is a perennial climber with herbaceous stems, up to 180 cm tall, with peltate 5-lobed leaves, and yellow or red pentamerous flowers, the sepals forming a spur below.
Distribution and use
The ysaño produces yellow or greenish tubers with a characteristic ribbing. These tubers are eaten in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. To improve the taste they are frozen after boiling or dried before eaten. Together with the oca (Oxalis tuberosa) (O. tuberosa 1), the ullucu (Ullucus tuberosus) (U. tuberosus 1) and the potato (Solanum tuberosum), the ysaño provide important food crops for the Indians of the Andean highlands.