Vines, perennial, herbaceous, 2–5(–10) m, unarmed; roots tuberous. Stems trailing or climbing to semi-erect, strigose to hirsute or villous [hirsutulous], hairs spreading to deflexed. Leaves alternate, odd-pinnate; stipules present, caducous, linear-lanceolate, 5–11 mm; petiolate; leaflets 3, alternate, stipels caducous, blade margins entire, toothed, or lobed, surfaces strigose or glabrous. Inflorescences 4–11-flowered, axillary or terminal, pseudoracemes, fasciculate, nodose; bracts and bracteoles present, caducous, setaceous. Flowers papilionaceous; calyx tubular, 8–12 mm, lobes 5; corolla white, pink, or purplish; stamens 10, diadelphous; anthers basifixed, relatively small, dehiscing apically; style glabrous; stigma relatively small, terminal. Fruits legumes, pedicellate, sides straight, strongly compressed, oblong, dehiscent, constricted between seeds, septate, pubescent or glabrescent. Seeds 4–10, somewhat flattened, 4-angled with rounded corners or suborbicular [reniform]; hilum lateral. x = 11.

Distribution

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

Discussion

Species 5 (1 in the flora).

Three species of Pachyrhizus are widely cultivated for their edible tuberous roots: P. ahipa (Weddell) Parodi (known only in cultivation), P. erosus, and P. tuberosus (Lamarck) Sprengel. Two species occur only in the wild: P. ferrugineus (Piper) M. Sørensen and P. panamensis R. T. Clausen.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Pachyrhizus erosus