Biodiversity
An introduction to biodiversity.
A simple explanation of what biodiversity is, how we make sense of it and its importance to us. Plus an introduction to the biodiversity of potatoes and tomatoes.
Solanum jamesii
Quick description
North American wild potato eaten by Indian tribes.
Appearance
This species can be identified by its finely divided leaf-like green organs, that are 1 cm long and found at the bases of the leaves. The plants are 20-50 cm tall. The leaves are covered in small hairs and 7-15 cm long. There are 4-10 white flowers in each inflorescence, and edges of the flowers are flat and not rolled. The fruits are round and green, around 1cm in diameter. The seeds are green-white and slimy when wet. The tubers are small and produced at the tips of roots, often quite far away from the parent plant.
Taste/cooking
The tubers are eaten raw or cooked, or used to make yeast, or ground into a powder for making bread. They are somewhat bitter and are mixed with clay to counteract the astringency. They are used by the Keres Indians, the Apache, the Chiricahua and the Mescalero Indians, and the Hopi Indians, as well as other tribes.
Specific nutritional benefits
Not known.
Habitat/growing
Southern USA and Mexico. A form of this species with strange leaf shapes grows in the Huachuca Mountains in Arizona.
Stress tolerance
Survives well and produces fruit in high temperatures, but cannot adapt to a cold climate.
Disease/pest resistance
Some members of this species are resistant to the Colorado Potato Beetle.
Storage
Not known.
