page_title: Oxalis tuberosa
section_title: Cultivation
hierarchical_section_title: Oxalis tuberosa / Cultivation
caption_attribution_description: English: Red Oxalis tuberosa (oca) tubers
context_page_description: Oxalis tuberosa is a perennial herbaceous plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers. These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua, oca in Spanish, yam in New Zealand and a number of other alternative names. The plant was brought into cultivation in the central and southern Andes for its tubers, which are used as a root vegetable. The plant is not known in the wild, but populations of wild Oxalis species that bear smaller tubers are known from four areas of the central Andean region. Oca was introduced to Europe in 1830 as a competitor to the potato, and to New Zealand as early as 1860.
  In New Zealand, oca has become a popular table vegetable and is simply called yam or New Zealand yam. It is available in a range of colours, including yellow, orange, pink, apricot, and the traditional red.
context_section_description: Oca is one of the important staple crops of the Andean highlands, due to its easy propagation, and tolerance for poor soil, high altitude and harsh climates.
caption: Pink O. tuberosa tubers
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