Prefers a light fairly dry well-drained loam with added leafmold. Prefers a sunny position with some shelter. Plants are not very winter hardy in Britain, the roots are best dug up in autumn and stored like dahlias in a cool frost free place. When grown in a light well-drained soil and mulched well, the roots usually survive the winter outdoors. The roots of this plant do not seem to be tuberous, the plant seems to be more like an annual.

Tubers - cooked. Rich in starch, but with a fairly bland flavor. Edible leaves.

Seed - sow March in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 5 weeks at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring. Make sure that each portion has at least one growing bud. Cuttings during the growing season. Very easy.

Rich woods, thickets and clearings.