Practical
Plants

Solanum ajanhuiri

Ajanhuiri

a perennial member of the Solanum genus in the family Solanaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Solanum
Life cycle
perennial
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although no specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where many if not all the members have poisonous leaves and sometimes also the unripe fruits.

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - cooked[3]. The tubers have a high content of dry matter and are a good source of vitamin C[4]. Most forms are bitter and are sweetened by being made into 'chuño' (a method of freeze-drying the tubers)[4]. There are some forms with sweet and floury tubers[4].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
S. America - Bolivia and Peru, in the Andes.
Habitat
Found in very cool windy sites in the Andes at elevations between 2800 - 4100 metres[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 10+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into a fairly rich compost as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on fast. Plant them out after the last expected frosts. Division. Harvest the tubers in autumn after the top-growth has been cut back by frost. Store the tubers in a cool frost-free place overwinter and replant in April.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in most soils[1]. Dislikes wet or heavy clay soils[2][7]. Prefers a slightly acid soil, the tubers are subject to scab on limy soils or those deficient in humus. Yields best on a fertile soil rich in organic matter. Tolerates hail and, once established, drought[4]. This plant is one of the S. American species of potatoes, it is possibly a hybrid S. stenototum x S. megistacrolobum[5]. It is more frost hardy than the common potato, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c[4][6], and can probably be grown in much the same way as potatoes are grown by planting out the tubers in spring and harvesting in the autumn[K]. It is cultivated for its tubers in the Andes, there are several forms but only one, called 'sisu' is not bitter - there are blue and white tuber varieties of this form[4]. Plants can produce tubers in 5 - 6 months from planting out[5]. Plants might have strict daylength requirements and may yield poorly in temperate zones because they need short-days in order to induce tuber-formation[4]. A diploid species, it rarely produces fertile seed and even then only in small quantities[4]. It is resistant to viral diseases and round-cyst nematode and is immune to Synchytrium black wart[4]. The tubers store well[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0

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  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  4. Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-309-04264-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  6. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00

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  7. Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00

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