Maca is a cruciferous root vegetable native to the Andes mountains. It is grown primarily in Peru, but is also grown in neighboring Bolivia. It looks very much like its plant cousin the turnip in shape and size. The most commonly grown color of the maca root is a cream yellow tone, providing the distinct color of the maca powder we commonly see here in the west. Red and black varieties also exist, of which the black is considered the most energy providing by the local peoples.
Maca was given the Latin botanical name lepidium meyenii by the botanist Gerhard Walper who came across the plant in 1843. The maca powder that we buy now has changed a little due to increased cultivation and domestication. This more modern species was named L. peruvianum in the late 1960's. To avoid confusion, the title peruvianum is now employed by botanists as a blanket term that encompasses both varieties of maca. Other commonly used local terms for maca include macca, maca-maca and maino.
Maca root is a very unique plant in its ability to grow at very high altitudes at which most other plants perish. Thriving at altitudes between 13000-15000 ft, it survives cold windy climates with poor soils. The only other edible plant that can be grown, less successfully at this extreme in the Andes, is potatoes. So it is easy to see why maca is a staple food for the indigenous mountain dwellers of Peru. It is also a lucky stroke of fate that it's one of the most nutritious complete foods that exists!
Almost all Maca is naturally grown organic. It is safe from insects and other pests in those high cold climates, so it doesn't need pesticide treatment. It is fertilized with the manure of local animals, mainly sheep and alpaca - a native animal resembling a llama. I remain fairly optimistic that maca will continue to be grown organically for the most part, even under the pressure of growing demand. The biggest portion of maca consumers outside of the Andes are health conscious North Americans and Western Europeans, a group of people who are generally pursuers and advocates of organic food.
For more information about the maca root visit peruvian maca