Ullucus is a monotypic genus in the family Basellaceae. Members of this family includes the genus Basella, which is a leafy plant used similarly to spinach in tropical Asia.
Ullucus tuberosus Caldas is one of the most important food crops of the Andean people prior to European invasion. In South America, it goes by many names; papa lisa, melloco (Ecuador), olluco (Peru), chugua (Colombia), ruba (Venezuela). There are many varieties, many of which are very colorful. Plants are typically small; some clamber on other plants. Both the tubers and leaves are edible. They should be grown as other Andean tuber crops such as Oxalis tuberosa. Height range: 30-50 cm. The photos below were taken by Robert Parks, Martin Bohnet and Nhu Nguyen.
Ullucus tuberosus ssp. aborigineus (Brücher) Sperling is included in the species in plant databases, but we separate them here because of tuber colors and plant habit. Photo by Nhu Nguyen.
