Colorado Wild Potato, Wild potato

Solanum jamesii

Physical Characteristics

Solanum jamesii is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Distribution

South-western N. America.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Tubers - raw or cooked[22, 46, 61, 85, 105, 161]. The tubers are rich in starch but are quite small, averaging only about 3cm in diameter[85, 95]. The tubers range in size from a pea to a walnut[216]. There is a bitterness in the tuber, this is concentrated near the skin[85]. They can be stored for several months or can be sliced thinly, dried and ground into a powder for making bread etc[183, 257]. 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[183, 257]. 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].

Medicinal Uses

None known

Known Hazards

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.