Mirabilis expansa (mauka or chago) is a species of flowering plant in the family Nyctaginaceae.

In Peru it has many different common names, such as chago, arricon, yuca, inca, cuship, and chaco.

[7] Fifteen years later it was found in Ecuador and Peru and has seen the largest area of production in those countries.

[6] It has been proposed that the reason Mauka has survived in three separate locations is because the Incas had a policy of transplanting valuable crops to communities throughout the empire.

[3] Mauka can reproduce with seeds or can propagate vegetatively using basal shoots, pieces of stem or suckers.

[6] In Ecuador, farmers intercrop mauka with maize to optimize soil structure for root development.

[3] Potential advantages of Mauka for poor farmers are that it is very inexpensive to reproduce because it can be done by vegetative propagation and once it is planted it requires very little labour.

Intercropping with maize is a very useful solution for preventing attacks from slugs and certain types of insects that dig into the plant's underground root.

Intercropping increases predator biodiversity, which in turn helps limit pest outbreaks.

Mirabilis expansa yields a large amount of edible stems and storage roots.

The roots can be prepared in the same way as sweet potato or cassava, two similar crops,[6] and can be an ingredient in soups and stews.

[6] To prepare mauka as sweet, the plant is buried for one week in the soil with layers of barley straw alternated between it to concentrate the sugars.

[6] Sodium and iron levels are low in Mauka but the protein, calcium, and phosphorus content are higher than other roots and tubers grown in the same agro-ecological area.

If the root is not left to ripen, there are astringent components that may affect a person's tongue and lips.

[6] At this point in time Mauka is a crop that is grown only in small vegetable gardens in a marginal way.