| Summary: | The xanthorrhiza species of the genus Arracacia, which belongs to the Apiaceae family, is known for its capacity to generate storage tuberous roots that are harvested annually and sold fresh in South American countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. In Colombia, the crop is planted mainly in 15 states, and regional cultivars are differentiated by the color of leaves, petiole, and tuberous root, the best known being amarilla común or paliverde, yema de huevo, and cartagenera. Some studies have characterized regional materials by applying a limited number of descriptors, but they do not allow to know the morphology and phenotypic differentiation of each one, therefore, their definition and characterization constitute a support in breeding programs that allow efficient use of the genetic potential and expand the knowledge on cultivar diversity. Characterization and phenotypic description of three cultivars was carried out during two production cycles (2016 and 2018) in two phases (vegetative and productive) applying 74 morphological variables (42 qualitative and 32 quantitative) organized into seven groups of variables: plant, leaf, leaflet, petiole, propagule, stump, and tuberous root. A factorial analysis for mixed data (FAMD) was applied, which incorporated a multivariate analysis with all the variables, identifying 11 discriminating variables, 8 qualitative, and 3 quantitative, which can be used in the characterization processes of arracacha materials. A morphological description of each cultivar was made, constituting the first complete characterization study of regional arracacha materials in Colombia.
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