Purple Yacon

Smallanthus sonchifolius 

The showier cousin of the humble brown yacon, this variety has rich purple skin on the storage tubers. Yacon is a perennial sunflower relative grown in the mid-elevation Andes for its crisp, sweet-tasting tuberous root; delicious eaten fresh, baked, steamed, or squeezed for juice. The texture and flavor is a cross between a fresh apple, watermelon and celery. Aboveground, the plant looks like a sunflower, and is very showy, as well as extra-easy to harvest, when grown in a large pot.

In Northern areas, plant after the last frost and harvest after the first few frosts have caused the tops to die back. While usable-sized tubers develop fairly early, they taste much sweeter after some frost, or after a couple weeks curing in the sun. Yacon has two types of tubers: the deeper-growing edible storage tubers and the much smaller edible propagation tubers which grow just under the soil surface. This variety was propagated by tissue culture. Sold in a 4″ pot.

USDA Zone: 5-9

Grow Height:  5′- 8′ 

Sun: Full Sun

Ripening Time: N/A

Pollination: N/A

Read our Tuber Growing Guide