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15 plants worth knowing

Peru

Peru is a country of three realms: the dry coastal desert, where fogs sustain “lomas” oases; the high Andes with their grassy puna; and the Amazon rainforest, which covers more than half the territory. The Peruvian Andes are one of the oldest centres of plant domestication – the potato, quinoa and the lima bean, among others, come from here.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Potato 1

    crop

    Potato

    Solanum tuberosum

    The homeland of the potato: more than 3,000 varieties are grown in the Peruvian Andes – purple, pink, yellow and speckled.
  2. Cantuta 2

    shrub · National flower of Peru

    Cantuta

    Cantua buxifolia

    The sacred flower of the Incas – the drooping, purple-red trumpets of the cantuta graced ceremonies in Cuzco and are now Peru’s national flower.
  3. Queen of the Andes 3

    herbaceous plant

    Queen of the Andes

    Puya raimondii

    The Queen of the Andes – the world’s largest bromeliad, which after several decades sends up a 10-metre flower spike and then dies.
  4. Cinchona tree 4

    tree · Tree on the coat of arms of Peru, symbolising the country’s plant wealth

    Cinchona tree

    Cinchona officinalis

    The tree on Peru’s coat of arms – its bark yielded quinine, for centuries the only effective cure for malaria.
  5. Maca 5

    crop

    Maca

    Lepidium meyenii

    A crop grown higher than almost any other – maca thrives on the frosty plateaus of Junín at over 4,000 m.
  6. Quinoa 6

    crop

    Quinoa

    Chenopodium quinoa

    Peru grows more of the Incas’ sacred “mother of all grains” than any other country – its colourful fields line the shores of Titicaca.
  7. Ají amarillo 7

    crop

    Ají amarillo

    Capsicum baccatum

    This fruity orange-yellow chilli is the foundation of Peruvian cooking – there is no ají de gallina or causa limeña without it.
  8. Coca 8

    shrub

    Coca

    Erythroxylum coca

    The sacred leaves of the Andes – for thousands of years chewing coca has helped mountain people cope with altitude, cold and fatigue.
  9. Lucuma 9

    tree

    Lucuma

    Lucuma bifera

    An Andean fruit with floury, golden flesh and a caramel-like taste – lucuma ice cream is one of Peruvians’ favourite desserts.
  10. Totora 10

    aquatic plant

    Totora

    Schoenoplectus californicus

    The Uros people build floating islands on Lake Titicaca from totora stems, and the fishermen of Huanchaco make caballitos de totora boats.
  11. Maize 11

    crop

    Maize

    Zea mays

    Big-kernelled Andean corn, purple maíz morado and chicha de jora – without maize there is no Peruvian cooking and no fiesta.
  12. Sweet potato 12

    crop

    Sweet potato

    Ipomoea batatas

    Sweet camote is ceviche’s constant companion – Peru is one of the cradles of sweet potato domestication and has grown it for thousands of years.
  13. Cherimoya 13

    tree

    Cherimoya

    Annona cherimola

    Creamy, sweet cherimoya from Peru’s Andean valleys is considered one of the most delicious fruits in the world.
  14. Moriche palm 14

    palm

    Moriche palm

    Mauritia flexuosa

    Scaly aguaje fruits are a favourite treat in Iquitos, and swamp forests of this palm cover huge areas of the Peruvian Amazon.
  15. Algarrobo 15

    tree

    Algarrobo

    Neltuma pallida

    The algarrobo is the tree of the dry forests of Peru’s north coast – its pods are made into a thick syrup called algarrobina.