Practical
Plants

Solanum jamesii

Colorado Wild Potato

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

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Solanum
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.2 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

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.

Tubers - raw or cooked[8][11][12][13][2][4]. The tubers are rich in starch but are quite small, averaging only about 3cm in diameter[13][14]. The tubers range in size from a pea to a walnut[7]. There is a bitterness in the tuber, this is concentrated near the skin[13]. They can be stored for several months or can be sliced thinly, dried and ground into a powder for making bread etc[5][9]. The Hopi Indians cook them or eat them raw with a saline clay in order to counteract the astringency and also use them in making yeast[5][9]. The tubers are rather fiddly to harvest, apart from their small size they are also produced at the tips of roots, often at some distance from the parent plant[K].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
South-western N. America.
Habitat
Coniferous forests, 1600 - 2500 metres in Arizona.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

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[3][10]. 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. Not very hardy in Britain, but plants can be grown as half-hardy perennials, the tubers being planted out in April and harvested in the autumn after the top growth has died down.

References

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

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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

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  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

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

  7. Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939-00-00

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  8. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

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  9. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2

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

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  11. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  12. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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  13. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

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