Tropaeolum leptophyllum

Family: Tropaeolaceae

What it is like

Tropaeolum leptophyllum is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER growing to 1.5 m (5ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in flower from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1.5

Where it is found

Not known

S. America - Chile, Bolivia.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

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

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

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.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial Climber

Hardiness: 7-10

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

T. edule. Paxt.