Tropaeolum tuberosum

Tropaeolum tuberosum (mashua, see below for other names) is a species of flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, grown in the Andes, particularly in Peru and Bolivia, and to a lesser extent in Ecuador as well as in some areas of Colombia, for its edible tubers, which are eaten cooked or roasted as a vegetable. It is a minor food source, especially to native Amerindian populations. Mashua is a herbaceous perennial climber growing to 2–4 m (7–13 ft) in height. It is related to garden nasturtiums, and is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental for its brightly coloured tubular flowers.[1]

Mashua
Various mashua tubers of different shapes and pigmentations
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Tropaeolaceae
Genus: Tropaeolum
Species:
T. tuberosum
Binomial name
Tropaeolum tuberosum

Alternative names

This plant is commonly called mashua in Peru and Ecuador,[2] but other names include:

  • Mashwa (Ecuador and Peru)
  • Maswallo
  • Mazuko
  • Mascho (Peru)
  • Añu (in Peru and Bolivia)
  • Isaño
  • Cubio (in Colombia)
  • Tuberous nasturtium

In Boyacá, Colombia it is also named Nabu

Agronomy

The plant grows vigorously even in marginal soils and it competes well with weeds. It is well-adapted to high-altitude subsistence agriculture, and gives high yields; 30 tonnes per hectare are yielded at a height of 3000 metres, but up to 70 tons per hectare have been produced under research conditions.[3] Its extraordinary resistance to insect, nematode and bacterial pests is attributed to high levels of isothiocyanates. Although mashua is fully domesticated, it can persist in wild vegetation because of its aggressive growth and robustness. In Colombia, it is planted as a companion crop to repel pests in potato fields.

Tuber colored as if bleeding blood
Popular Peruvian mashua cultivar Yawar Waqay, meaning "weeping blood"

Culinary use

Raw mashua tuber is bitter due to glucosinolates, but the bitterness diminishes after cooking, freezing, or pounding.[4][5] The tubers comprise as much as 75 percent of the mature plants by dry weight (40 percent is typical for cereals). Up to 75 percent of dry matter reaches the tubercle.[2]

Popularization of mashua may be limited by its strong flavor, and its reputation as an anaphrodisiac. Father Bernabé Cobo records that in the 16th century the Inca used to give enormous amounts of mashua to their troops so that they would forget their wives.[6] However, mashua tubers roasted in traditional earthen field ovens, built at harvest, are considered a delicacy. Also, the raw tubers can be shredded thinly and added to salads, to confer a spicy flavour and crunchy texture.

Flowering mashua plants in full bloom
Flowering mashua plants near Quito, Ecuador, 1990

Cultivation as an ornamental

In its native range, mashua is mainly cultivated for its edible tubers, but it has ornamental value in the temperate zone because of its trailing habit and showy, bi-coloured tubular flowers, which appear in summer and autumn. The sepals are orange-red while the petals are bright yellow. In areas prone to frost, it requires some protection in winter. The cultivar T. tuberosum var. lineamaculatum 'Ken Aslet' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[7][8]

Medicinal properties

Mashua has putative anaphrodisiac effects.[9] It has been recorded by the Spanish chronicler Cobo that mashua was fed to their armies by the Inca Emperors, "that they should forget their wives".[3][10] Studies of male rats fed on mashua tubers have shown a 45% drop in testosterone levels due to the presence of isothiocyanates.[3] Mashua contains Docosatetraenoylethanolamide, a cannabinoid structurally similar to Anandamide that also acts on the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor among other structurally related compounds such as N–oleoyldopamine.[11]

See also

References
  1. Grau, Ortega, Nieto & Hermann (2003) Mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruíz & Pav.). [Extensive monograph on mashua] http://www.bioversityinternational.org/uploads/tx_news/Mashua__Tropaeolum_tuberosum_Ru%C3%ADz__amp__Pav._880.pdf
  2. Peace Diaries Workspace Archived 2008-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Mashua Ethnobotanical Leaflet, Southern Illinois University
  4. Sanderson, Helen (2005). Prance, Ghillean; Nesbitt, Mark (eds.). The Cultural History of Plants. Routledge. p. 63. ISBN 0415927463.
  5. 10 perennial veggies to grow, San Francisco Gate
  6. Grau et al. (2003): 27.
  7. "RHS Plant Selector - Tropaeolum tuberosum var. lineamaculatum 'Ken Aslet'". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  8. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 103. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  9. Johns, Timothy; Kitts, W.D.; Newsome, Frances; Towers, G.H.Neil (March 1982). "Anti-reproductive and other medicinal effects of Tropaeolum tuberos um". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 5 (2): 149–161. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(82)90040-x. PMID 7057655.
  10. Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation, National Academies Press
  11. Apaza T., Luis; Tena Pérez, Victor; Serban, Andreea Madalina; Alonso Navarro, Matías J.; Rumbero, Angel (10 May 2019). "Alkamides from Tropaeolum tuberosum inhibit inflammatory response induced by TNF–α and NF–κB". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 235: 199–205. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2019.02.015. PMID 30753883. S2CID 73420706.

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