Inca peanut
Plukenetia volubilis

Family: Euphorbiaceae

What it is like

Plukenetia volubilis is an evergreen Climber growing to 2 m (6ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 2

Where it is found

Occurs in disturbed areas or forest edges of lowland moist or wet forest, at elevations below 900 metres.

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam; Caribbean - Windward Isles.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Andes, Antilles, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Guianas, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South America, St Lucia, Suriname, Venezuela

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Seeds - roasted. An excellent flavour. Rich in oil (35 - 60%) and protein (27%). An oil is extracted from the seed. It is used in the preparation of various meals. Staple crop: Protein-oil.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 3

The oil from the seed is of high quality and can be used for cosmetics etc. Fodder: bank.

Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Humid tropics. Grows in warm climates up to altitudes of 1,700 meters (5,500 feet) as long as there is continued availability of water and good drainage. It grows better in acidic soils and alluvial flats near rivers. Cultivated plants frequently have larger, 5 - 6 carpelled fruits and more prominently serrate leaf margins. The seeds of inchi have high protein (27%) and oil (35 - 60%) content, and the oil is rich in the essential fatty acids omega-3 linolenic acid (˜45-53% of total fat content) and omega-6 linoleic acid (˜34-39% of fat content), as well as non-essential omega-9 (˜6-10% of fat content).

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Climber

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Amendoim-de-Inka, Amuio, Mountain peanut, Ticazo, Wild peanut, Supua, Sacha inchi

Synonyms

Fragariopsis paxii Pittier Plukenetia macrostyla Ule Plukenetia peruviana Müll.Arg. Sajorium volubile (L.) Baill.