Solanum fendleri
| Solanum fendleri | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Solanum fendleri (common name: wild potato)
Propagation: 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: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will succeed in Britain. This plant is a N. American species of potatoes and it can probably be grown in much the same way as potatoes are grown. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in most soils[1]. Dislikes wet or heavy clay soils[2][3]. 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.
Range: South-western N. America.
Habitat: Rich soils in open pine woods, 1800 - 2700 metres in Arizona.
Edibility: Tubers - raw or cooked[4][5][6]. Rich in starch, the tubers can be dried and ground into a powder then used in making bread[7]. A type of potato, it is said to be pleasant eating, tasting somewhat like a sweet chestnut[8]. When eaten raw the potatoes are mixed with clay[9]. One report says that, after every mouthful of raw potato, a person would take a bite f white clay to counteract the unpleasant astringent effect of the potato in the mouth[7]. The roots are fairly small, averaging about 15mm in diameter[4].
Medicinal: The raw tubers have been used in the treatment of gastric distress due to hyperacidity[7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
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.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Simons, Arthur. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin, 1977.
- ↑ Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.