Naming a phantom - the quest to find the identity of Ulluchu, an unidentified ceremonial plant of the Moche culture in Northern Peru.
Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine March 31, 2009 Rainer W. Bussmann, Douglas Sharon 33 citations
The botanical identification of Ulluchu, an iconic fruit frequently depicted in the art of the pre-Columbian Moche culture that flourished from A.D. 100-800 on the Peruvian north coast, has eluded scientists since its documentation in ceramics in the 1930s. Moche fine-line drawings of Ulluchu normally depict seed-pods or seeds floating in the air in sacrificial scenes, associated with runners...