Yacon, another name for chrysanthemum potato, is called "ten thousand roots" in Sichuan, China. It is a perennial herb of Compositae, native to the Andes in South America. The inhabitants of the Andes grow this plant as a root vegetable. The tuberous root of Jerusalem artichoke is rich in water and fructooligosaccharides. It tastes sweet and crisp and can also be eaten as fruit. In the market of Taiwan Province Province, vendors sell the tuberous roots of Jerusalem artichoke under the name of "underground fruit" or "Saussurea involucrata". In fact, chrysanthemum potatoes and Saussurea involucrata are two different plants.

Although leguminous potatoes and Jerusalem artichoke (ginger) of Compositae are sometimes mistaken for chrysanthemum potatoes, their tuber shapes are completely different. The tuber of potato is oblate, shaped like onion, the tuber of Jerusalem artichoke is short cylindrical, shaped like taro, and the tuber of Jerusalem artichoke is long cylindrical and shaped like radish. The root of Jerusalem artichoke has two kinds of swelling. One is a seed potato (tuber) for propagation, which grows near the surface of the earth, and a new growth point will be formed at the top, and branches and leaves will grow from this growth point next year, much like the tuber of Jerusalem artichoke. Secondly, storage roots can grow bigger and longer and can be eaten. The storage root contains inulin, which is a kind of sugar that is difficult to digest, that is to say, although the root of Jerusalem artichoke tastes sweet, its calorie is very low.

Chrysanthemums can grow to more than two meters, and will produce small yellow flowers before the end of the growing season. Root vegetables (such as tuber sunflower and oxalis) cultivated in the Andes are usually affected by photoperiod, while chrysanthemum potato is not sensitive to photoperiod, so it can be produced commercially in tropical areas.