English: Peruvian ginseng.
Synonym: Lepidium peruvianum.
Quechua: Maca; Maca-maca; Maino; Ayak chichira; Ayak willku.
Clades:
Cardaminoideae;
Brassicaceae;
Brassicales; Malvodae;
Malvanae;
Angiospermae;
Plants.
Region: South America, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil.
Habitat: high mountainous Andes, 3,800–4,400 m above sea level; tolerant of frost, strong wind, sunlight.
Content: 60– to 75% carbohydrates, polysaccharides; (1R,3S)-1-Methyltetrahydro-carboline-3-carboxylic acid; glucotropaeolin, m-methoxyglucotropaeolin, benzyl glucosinolates, polyphenols, (1R,3S)-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (MTCA), and p-methoxybenzyl isothiocyanate; alkamides, several N-benzylamides; mutagenic properties of MTCA
Use: roots consumption; roots mashed and boiled for a sweet, thick liquid, mixed with milk to form a porridge, mazamorra; roots cooked in empanadas, jams, soups; root for flour for bread, cakes, pancakes; root fermented for a weak beer called chicha de maca; root, black, for a liquor is produced; leaves for animal fodder, salads.
BotanyHerb.
Root: taproot, with a fleshy hypocotyl, forming a rough inverted pear-shaped body; 4 types: cream-yellow, half-purple, purple, black; hypocotyls gold, cream, red, purple, blue, black, green.
Leaves: thin, frilly; in a rosette; 12 to 20 cm long; dimorphic, more prominent in the vegetative phase and continuously renew from the center as the outer leaves die.
Inflorescence: central raceme.
Flowers: off-white; self-fertile;green, fragrant tops are short and lie along the ground.
Pollination: self-pollination, autogamous.
Fruit: siliculate; ± 5 mm; containing two seeds.
Seeds: small, ± 2 mm; reddish-gray; ovoid.
Reproduction: only by seeds.
Chromosomes: 64 chromosomes.
TaxonomyA 2015 multi-center study found differences in taxonomy, visual appearance, phytochemical profiles and DNA sequences when comparing
Lepidium meyenii and Lepidium peruvianum, suggesting that they are different and that their names should not be considered synonyms.