Crops of the Incas in New Zealand

Bill Sykes1

For some years I have been The of South America (and underground stems at a distance from interested in the edible of the to a lesser extent the mountains to the planted parent potato (unlike the Andean Region and have grown a the east) have long been known as a ordinary potato) it is difficult to harvest number of the more unusual ones source of food plants, not only for the them all properly. Thus we usually have found in New Zealand at home and indigenous people but also for other a useful supply of emergency food for nearby in our little community garden peoples in more modern times. One people who need something for the pot in Packe Street Park, St Albans, needs only mention potatoes and at short notice. Christchurch (Fig. 1). My bible for tomatoes to make this point clear. It is Andean plants has been a very surprising that tomatoes don’t seem interesting book published in 1989 to have been used as a food crop called Lost crops of the Incas written by the Inca people but were instead by several scientists of the National taken to Mexico where the Aztec and Research Council in Washington, other Indian peoples ate them. That DC2. Many plants described in it I happened well before the Spanish have never seen and probably most arrived on the scene. of these are not or are rarely grown outside South America.

Fig. 3 Oca, . Photo: R. Simpson, via www.ecoport.org. Oca, Oxalis tuberosa, and mashua, tuberosum These two tuberous vegetables, available to eat in autumn and winter, have been amongst the most Fig. 1 Packe Street Park community garden, important foods in the High Andes for St Albans, Christchurch. Photo: Bill Sykes. centuries, especially oca. This latter Anyone visiting Packe Street Park vegetable is well known to everyone in cannot fail to see the influence of the New Zealand and needs no description Mediterranean Region with our grape because it is sold throughout this , olives, almonds, peaches country as ‘yam’. This is a very and a fig tree because such plants unfortunate common name because grow well in our dry summer climate. it could hardly be less like a yam as But another part of the world that Fig. 2 Botanical illustration of the andigena the word is applied all over the rest contributes significantly, although less potato, Solanum tuberosum subsp. of the English-speaking world. True andigena. Drawing: Tessa Read. obviously, to the diversity of edible yams are of the genus Dioscorea and plants in our park is the Andes of Potatoes, Solanum tuberosum and are imported from the Pacific islands South America. S. tuberosum subspecies andigena to Auckland but are rarely sold as far In Packe Street Park amongst south as Christchurch. As their genus Some of the plants mentioned below the usual potato type of Solanum names indicate, true yams belong were not only known to the ancient tuberosum, we grow the less common to the Dioscoreaceae (a monocot Inca people but were amongst their andigena potato with its small family), whereas oca is a member of staple crops. Since I have been irregular dark purple tubers (Fig. 2). the Oxalidaceae (dicots), which is also interested in these edible plants for This potato seems to have been the known for its weedy and ornamental a long time it seemed a good idea first type to have been introduced of oxalis. Interestingly, up to to some that were available in to New Zealand by early Europeans now New Zealand has been almost New Zealand in Packe Street Park and it quickly became very popular the only country beyond the Andean so that volunteer workers and visitors amongst Mˉaori people. Because Region where oca is generally well could try them too. the tubers are often formed on enough known to have had the chance

1 Research Associate, Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand; [email protected] 2 Lost crops of the Incas: Little-known plants of the Andes with promise for worldwide cultivation (1989). Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, National Research Council. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

4 New Zealand Garden Journal, 2013, Vol. 16(2) to become a commercial vegetable. later developed and replaced the early ulluco only forms its tubers in late Also, as many of us know, there are ones. As a result, modern potatoes, summer and early autumn and has now several forms available with as well as the modern andigena ones, frost-sensitive leaves. It belongs to a different coloured tubers (Fig. 3). form their tubers from early in the quite different and uncommon family, summer onwards. Flowering is very the Basellaceae, that is mainly only spasmodic in oca but more predictable known otherwise in this country by in mashua and, for both, flowering the ornamental but very weedy , doesn’t happen until autumn. Also Anredera cordifolia, Madeira vine the above ground parts of both are or mignonette vine, that originates very frost-tender and thus often the from Central America – despite its leaves and flowers get killed in the common name. In the tropical Pacific Park by the first air frost. Despite their however, there is also to be found popularity in the High Andes this cold the climbing Asian vine Basella alba, A damage must occur there as well. Malabar spinach, that is a popular leaf Certainly it would boost production if vegetable. long-day varieties could be developed like the potato.

A

B Fig. 4 Mashua, Tropaeolum tuberosum. A, growing up a holly tree in the authors’ Fig. 6 Botanical illustration of yacon, garden. Photo: Bill Sykes. B, botanical Smallanthus sonchifolius (as Polymnia illustration. Drawing: Tessa Read. sonchifolia) from Poeppig, E., Nova genera ac species plantarum, Vol. 3, Tab. 254 (1845). Mashua, on the other hand, is a Image courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden, plant hardly known in New Zealand www.botanicus.org. although it was also one of the most Yacon, Smallanthus sonchifolius important crops of the Incas (Fig. 4A– In New Zealand probably the rarest B). This is a climbing or scrambling of the Andean plants to be mentioned plant – as are most members of the here is yacon, Smallanthus sonchifolius genus Tropaeolum (Tropaeolaceae), (syn. Polymnia sonchifolia; Fig. 6), including another Andean plant the although it is well known in parts garden nasturtium, Tropaeolum of the Andes. It is a relation of the majus, which is a common and all sunflowers and also belongs to the too freely-seeding scrambling plant. B Asteraceae (Compositae). Like many The white tubers of mashua with their sunflowers yacon is a tall herbaceous Fig. 5 Ulluco, tuberosus. A, small transverse grooves are so like those plant growing in pot. Photo: Bill Sykes. B, plant resembling Jerusalem artichoke, of oca that it is perhaps surprising that botanical illustration from Curtis’s Botanical Helianthus tuberosus (this being they belong in two separate families Magazine, Vol. 77 [Ser. 3, Vol. 7], Tab. 4617 a species of sunflower from North of plants although botanically these (1851) [W.H. Fitch]. Image courtesy Missouri America and at Packe Street Park is Botanical Garden, www.botanicus.org. are not too distant. Furthermore they another community garden emergency are cooked in the same way and the Ulluco, Ullucus tuberosus food). Also like it, the edible parts of taste is somewhat similar. Another For several years I have grown this yacon are the underground tubers, feature in common is that they are root crop after getting a few tubers these being rich in fructose. Yacon both short-day plants originating from from Plant & Food Research, Lincoln tubers are thus quite sweet, as well low latitudes and so in New Zealand (Fig. 5A–B). The tubers are smaller as being crunchy, and can be eaten they don’t form their tubers until than those of the oca and mashua. raw or cooked. A point to remember late summer. Incidentally, potatoes Ulluco is a very famous plant in its is that the outside skin is unpalatable. introduced to Europe soon after the region of origin; it was also a staple Another fact in common with these Spanish Conquest were also short- food for the Incas like oca, mashua other tuberous plants is that the above day plants but long-day varieties were and potato. Also, like oca and mashua, ground parts are very sensitive to frost

New Zealand Garden Journal, 2013, Vol. 16(2) 5 in Christchurch. I have grown yacon at in New Zealand, and several autumn and can hardly pass a bush home for several years but haven’t yet were developed, but this venture without eating a few of these deliciously had enough stock produced to plant did not succeed. Both fruits are fragrant fruits. Ugni is quite hardy and it out in the Park and also I have not mostly eaten fresh but those of cape the little round leathery evergreen seen it flower, presumably because it gooseberry are sweeter than those leaves can stand up to wind and cold. doesn’t get time before the onset of of the pepino. Also, cape gooseberry In New Zealand it is sometimes grown cold weather in late autumn. Yacon is makes very good jam. as a hedge because of its dense another plant almost unknown outside habit. I remember seeing it obviously Before leaving the Solanaceae South America, but despite its rarity naturalised on the Chatham Islands family I must mention the well-known in New Zealand this is still the most where in open and exposed, windswept and popular capsicums and chilli likely country to find it in outside its boggy areas low ugni bushes are peppers, Capsicum species, which homeland. locally common. Again, ugni is scarcely we sometimes have in the Park in known or grown outside its Andean warm places. Capsicums are similar homeland in Central Chile except for in respect to habit and cultivation New Zealand. condition needs to pepino. Again capsicums and chilli peppers have a long history in the Andes going back to the time of the Incas. The peppers at that time were small and very hot and by the time of Columbus they had been taken north at least as far as Mexico and were popular amongst the Aztecs too. Since then there have been extensive breeding programmes, especially in North America; the result Fig. 7 Botanical illustration of pepino, being the great range of different Solanum muricatum (as Solanum variegatum peppers that are used across the Ruiz & Pavon) from Ruiz and Pavon, Flora world today with large and mild as well Peruviana, et Chilensis, Plates 153–325, Vol. 2, Tab. 162 (1798–1802). Image courtesy as hot peppers. Missouri Botanical Garden, www.botanicus.org. Ugni, Ugni molinae, and Cape gooseberry, Physalis feijoa, Acca sellowiana peruviana, and pepino, Solanum The main member of this duet of fruit muricatum crops to be discussed is ugni, Ugni We often grow these two well-known molinae, because feijoa is not quite an Andean species in Packe Street Park Andean plant since it originates from but they are short-lived herbaceous the mountains of southern Brazil and Fig. 8 Botanical illustration of feijoa, Acca plants and usually don’t survive the was most likely unknown to the people sellowiana from Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, winter. If seed is sown in the spring of the Andes. Feijoa, Acca sellowiana Vol. 124 [Ser. 3, Vol. 54], Tab. 7620 (1898) they can produce their edible fruits (syn. Feijoa sellowiana; Fig. 8), is very [M. Smith]. Image courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden, www.botanicus.org. before the autumn frosts if kept in well known throughout New Zealand the warmest possible place. Along although not much elsewhere Other Andean plants in with potatoes discussed previously, overseas outside South America. Packe Street Park both cape gooseberry and pepino Also it is hardy enough to grow freely We grow a few cucurbits, including are in the very large solanum family outside in Canterbury. Both species pumpkins and marrows (Cucurbitaceae) (Solanaceae) that is so diverse in belong to the very large myrtle family in Packe Street Park, and the species South America. Cape gooseberry, (Myrtaceae) that is so abundant in the of most of these originate in the Andes. sometimes known as Inca berry, southern hemisphere. Ugni (Fig. 9) is The usual pumpkin grown is the grey has a yellow-orange, cherry-sized, sometimes called strawberry myrtle ‘Whangaparoa Crown’ which is a globular berry that is enclosed in a elsewhere and this is an acceptable of the main pumpkin species papery brown jacket (hence the cape English alternative to the Chilean Cucurbita maxima. This has a long is really the enlarged floral calyx), the name. But in New Zealand, as with history of cultivation in the Andes for it main difficulty being to know when oca, we unfortunately persist in calling and other cucurbits were a mainstay the berries are ripe without opening it by a totally wrong name. In this case of the Incas and other peoples there. the jacket. There is no trouble in this cranberry or New Zealand cranberry Of course, as with all such plant way over the pepino (Fig. 7) because is erroneously used, but although species that have become popular its large pendulous creamy-yellow the berries are roughly the same world-wide, there has been so much and usually purple-streaked and more size and shape as true cranberries breeding and selection in the last or less sub-globular fruits are very their taste bears no resemblance, let 500 years or thereabouts that usually conspicuous and can grow to 15 cm alone the appearance of the plants. today the modern cultivars derived long or more although are usually only True cranberries are closely related from them are quite different from their about 8 to 10 cm in our garden. In to blueberries and thus are in the progenitors of several thousand years the late 1970s and early 1980s there very different and unrelated family ago. In the same way, the marrows and were efforts to commercialise pepino Ericaceae. I enjoy the ugni berries in courgettes or zucchinis that we often

6 New Zealand Garden Journal, 2013, Vol. 16(2) grow in New Zealand has changed pawpaw fruits sold here is the tropical The second genus with at least one considerably from the species, species that is still botanically Carica important seed-producing species Cucurbita pepo, that is originally from papaya (Caricaceae). Some of the is Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae). North or Central America. passion fruits, especially some of the A. caudatus, kiwicha or love lies banana ones, Passiflora species in bleeding (Fig. 11), was also an the Tacsonia group (Passifloraceae), important food crop for Andean people. are from the Andes and were known to Thus it seems to be indigenous to this the Incas. Although not very hardy in region and not to Asia, although these Christchurch itself these plants grow days it is such a well-known crop plant wild and can fruit prolifically on Banks in temperate climate areas like the Peninsula and in warm places on the Himalaya that it seems as if it must Canterbury coast to the north, so much originate from there. so that these vines can become a nuisance.

Fig. 9 Botanical illustration of ugni, Ugni molinae. Drawing: Tessa Read. A plant not usually associated with the Andes is the strawberry (Rosaceae). However there is an Andean strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis, and the result of crossing this with the North American scarlet Fig. 11 Botanical illustration of love lies strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, gave bleeding, Amaranthus caudatus from Vietz, the world the modern strawberries F.B., Icones plantarum medico-oeconomico- of commerce. Thus all the large technologicarum, Vol. 3, Tab. 266 (1806). Image courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden, strawberries that we regularly eat www.botanicus.org. are derived from this hybrid called Fig. 10 Botanical illustration of quinoa, botanically Fragaria × ananassa. The Chenopodium quinoa from Curtis’s Botanical Community gardens and small patches Magazine, Vol. 65 [Ser. 2, Vol. 12], Tab. 3641 of common land are useful places to bringing together of these two species (1839) [W.H. Fitch]. Image courtesy Missouri took place in France in the early 18th Botanical Garden, www.botanicus.org. trial these non-commercial but useful century. On the other hand that little food plants. They add variety to our Finally, although we don’t grow any alpine strawberry with its very small local food larder and a back-up for plants with edible seeds, there are fruits that we also sometimes grow people needing to augment their diet. several in two genera that should be in our Park belongs to the European These are plants that have sustained mentioned to round off this discussion F. vesca. humans for thousands of years in their of Andean plants. The most important homeland. I can do no better than I should make a brief mention of species in the region was (and probably quote from the Lost crops of the Incas Andean plants that we cannot grow still is) the quinoa, Chenopodium where the authors state “...one country in Packe Street because it is too quinoa (Chenopodiaceae; or outside the Andes already has had cold. Not surprisingly they come Amaranthaceae as it may now instead considerable experience and success from lowland and thus subtropical belong), a food that the Incas regarded with them – New Zealand”. and tropical parts of the central to be so vital that it was considered and northern Andes. Some are not sacred according to Lost crops of the Acknowledgements well known beyond the Andean Incas where it is stated that the Inca I wish to acknowledge my gardening Region although again New Zealand Emperor planted the first seed using colleagues who have looked after the has often been in the forefront a golden spade (Fig 10). Many forms Packe Street Park and Community of introducing them to the rest of of quinoa were and still are available. Garden for the last 17 years, especially the world. Some have an obvious Quinoa seeds are said to be one of to Peggy Kelly who is the main economic potential, but one must the best sources of protein in plants. organiser of planting activities there, go further north in New Zealand to They are ground to form flour and this as well as to people beyond who have see growing cherimoya, Annona is available from health food shops in provided me with Andean plants to cherimola, in the custard apple family Canterbury. In the same genus is our grow there and at home. I also thank (Annonaceae), and chamburo or very common weed Chenopodium Tessa Read who is another volunteer mountain pawpaw, Vasconcellea album or fathen from the Old World that at the Park and drew some of the pubescens (usually known as Carica I often cook the leaves of. plants illustrating this article. pubescens). Incidentally, the usual

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