This plant originates from Central and South America. The Aztecs used its seeds medicinally. Then, in the 17th century, the Spanish introduced the plant to the Philippines, eventually spreading throughout Asia and the Pacific. The plant arrived in Indonesia from Manila via Ambon. Jicama is widely used in cosmetics, food, and medicine.

It grows well in lowlands up to an altitude of 1,400 m above sea level with full sunlight, temperatures of 20-30 °C, rainfall between 1,300-1,700 mm/year, and a soil pH of 4.5-8. Jicama is a plant that does not require much water.

• The stems are hairy, creeping, and twining, with smooth nodes, generally greenish to brownish in color, and have new shoots surrounding them.

• The leaves are compound, with three leaflets, and the veins are pinnate.

• The flowers have blue or white petals.

• The fruit has light brown skin and flesh that is nearly white.

• The flat, square, almost round seeds are olive green to brown or reddish brown.

• Propagation is carried out generatively (from seeds) and vegetatively (from cuttings and separating shoots).

• Planting should be done at the beginning of the rainy season. The dry season, between September and November, is the ideal time to begin soil cultivation.

• Planting spacing is 15 x 15 cm or 20 x 20 cm.

• Shoots appear on the 7th to 10th day.

• The tubers should be harvested before the plant flowers.

• Overcoming digestive problems, improving the immune system, good for diabetic diets, brightening the skin, whitening the face, pain medication.

• Alpa hydroxyl acid (AHA), pachyrhizon, rotenon, saponin, flavonoid, thiamin, pirydoxin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, asam askorbik.