| Oxalis tuberosa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Yellow and purple O. tuberosa tubers | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Oxalidales |
| Family: | Oxalidaceae |
| Genus: | Oxalis |
| Species: | O. tuberosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Oxalis tuberosa | |
Oxalis tuberosa is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua,[1] oca in Spanish, yams in New Zealand and several other alternative names. The plant was brought into cultivation in the central and southern Andes for its tubers, which are used as a root vegetable. The plant is not known in the wild, but populations of wild Oxalis species that bear smaller tubers are known from four areas of the central Andean region.[2] Oca was introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato, and to New Zealand as early as 1860.
In New Zealand, oca has become a popular table vegetable and is called yams (although not a true yam). It is available in various colors, including yellow, orange, pink, apricot, and traditional red.[3]
- ^ Teofilo Laime Ajacopa, Diccionario Bilingüe Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha, La Paz, 2007 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary)
- ^ Bradbury, E.J.; Emshwiller, E. (2011). "The Role of Organic Acids in the Domestication of Oxalis tuberosa: A New Model for Studying Domestication Resulting in Opposing Crop Phenotypes". Econ Bot. 65 (1): 76–84. doi:10.1007/s12231-010-9141-0. S2CID 40168603.
- ^ National Research Council (U.S.). Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation (1989). Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. National Academies. pp. 83–92. ISBN 0-309-04264-X. NAP:14292.