Mauka (Mirabilis expansa)

Family: Nyctaginaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Mirabilis expansa is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). It is frost tender. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet and are pleasant to eat. — Root - dried in the sun then boiled and eaten as a vegetable.; The root contains about 7% protein, a good quantity for a root crop and up to 87% carbohydrate on a dry weight basis.; Roots can be the size of a man's forearm.; Some forms, especially those from Bolivia, contain an astringent substance that can burn the lips and mouth.

Habitat & North American Range

Found at heights above 2700 metres in areas subject to strong winds and near constant chill. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)