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Common Name:

General Information

Tropaeolum leptophyllum is a Perennial Climber up to 1.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Chile, Bolivia.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a lime-free soil[] and a sunny position[]. Prefers a soil of turfy loam and peat or sandy peat and leafmould[]. Succeeds in soils of low and medium fertility[].
The dormant plant is hardy to about -15°c[].
A climbing plant, it supports itself by twisting its leaf stalks around other plants etc[].
Closely related to T. polyphyllum, differing in its tubers and climbing habit[].
The caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly can be a nuisance and often cause considerable damage to the leaves[].

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[, , , , ]. Large[]. The tubers are only used in times of scarcity, when better flavoured food is not available[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of the tubers in the autumn or spring. In cold winter areas the tubers can be harvested in the autumn after top-growth has died down and they can then be stored in a cool frost-free position until planting them out in the spring.
Cuttings of basal stems in the spring[]. Pot them up into individual pots and place them in light shade in a frame until they are established. Plant out in early summer.