Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urb.Family: Leguminosae / Fabaceae
Synonyms: Cacara bulbosa Thouars, Cacara bulbosa Rumphius ex Du Petit-Thouars, Cacara erosa (L.) Kuntze, Cacara palmatiloba (DC.) Kuntze, Dolichos articulatus Lam., Dolichos bulbosus L., Dolichos erosus L., Dolichos palmatilobus DC., Pachyrhizus angulatus DC., Pachyrhizus articulatus Walp., Pachyrhizus bulbosus (L.) Kurz, Pachyrhizus erosus var. erosus, Pachyrhizus erosus var. palmatilobus (DC.) R.T.Clausen, Pachyrhizus erosus var. typicus R.T.Clausen, Pachyrhizus jicamas Blanco, Pachyrhizus palmatilobus (DC.) Benth. & Hook.f., Pachyrhizus strigosus R.T.Clausen, Robynsia lobata M.Martens & Galeotti, Robynsia macrophylla M.Martens & Galeotti, Stizolobium bulbosum (L.) Spreng., Stizolobium domingense Spreng., Taeniocarpum articulatum (Lam.) Desv.
English: jicama, Yam-Bean
Arabic: هيكاما
Bengali: Sakalu
Chinese: 番葛
Finnish: Pikkujamssipapu
French: Pachyrhize rongé
Hindi: संकालू , sankalu
Japanese: kuso-imo
Thai: มันแกว
Vietnamese: Cây củ đậu
Description: Perennial, Herbs, Vines, twining, c limbing, Taproot present, Nodules present, Stems prostrate, trailing, or mat forming, Stems less than 1 m tall, Stems greater than 2 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Stipules conspicuous, Stipules green, triangulate to lanceolate or foliaceous, Leaves compound, Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets lobed or hastate, Leaflets opposite, Stipels present at base of leaflets, Leaflets 3, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Leaves hairy on one or both surfaces, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Bracteoles present, Flowers zygomorphic, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx 2-lipped or 2-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Calyx hairy, Petals separate, Corolla papilionaceous, Petals clawed, Petals white, Petals blue, lavander to purple, or violet, Petals bicolored or with red, purple or yellow streaks or spots, Banner petal suborbicular, broadly rounded, Banner petal auriculate, Wing petals narrow, oblanceolate to oblong, Wing petals auriculate, Wing petals incurved, Keel abruptly curved, or spirally coiled, Keel tips obtuse or rounded, not beaked, Stamens 9-10, Stamens diadelphous, 9 united, 1 free, Filaments glabrous, Style flattened, Style sharply bent, Style hairy, Style hairy on one side only, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit freely dehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit compressed between seeds, Fruit hairy, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seeds subquadrate, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.
Used in Ayurveda. Toxins, leaves, ripe beans and mature seeds poisonous; young hairy pods cause irritation. Seeds for skin diseases, boils; seed oil can be used as a purgative, anthelmintic, insecticide. Flour obtained from tubers in the treatment of dysentery and hemorrhoids. Root to cure fever, headache, cholera, smallpox and to stop bleeding. Seeds stupefy fish. [CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants].
136 Published articles of Pachyrhizus erosus
