Patate

The ‘potato’ is widely cultivated for its edible tubers in Pakistan. Does well in hilly areas up to 3000 m. Several varieties and races are known. The plant parts (including the tubers) contain a poisonous alkaloid, solanine, which is soon lost on boiling the tubers; sprouting or green tubers should be ovoided for edible purposes. Apart from starch, the potato is also a rich source of protein and vitamin C. The berry is rarely produced.

An erect, unarmed perennial herb, 60-90 cm tall. Stem tubers underground, of various shapes and sizes. Shoots pubescent. Leaves imparipinnate, segment pairs. 4-5. Flowers in terminal few-flowered, paniculate cymes, pink to white or light purple. Corolla limb ± 2.5 cm broad.

Herbs erect or sprawling, 30-80 cm tall, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple and glandular hairs. Stolons bearing underground tubers; tubers white, red, or purplish, globose, oblate, or elliptic, 3-10 cm in diam., fleshy. Leaves interruptedly odd-pinnate, with 6-8 pairs of leaflets and smaller, unequal interstitial leaflets; petiole 2.5-5 cm; leaflet blade ovate or oblong, mostly sparingly pilose. Inflorescences appearing terminal, leaf opposed, or axillary, many-flowered, sparingly branched panicles. Pedicel articulate near middle, 1-2 cm. Calyx sparsely pubescent; lobes lanceolate. Corolla white, pink, or blue-purple, sometimes all on 1 plant, rotate, 2.5-3 cm in diam.; lobes deltate, ca. 5 mm. Filaments ca. 1 mm; anthers 5-6 mm. Ovary glabrous. Style ca. 8 mm. Berry green or yellowish green, often striped, globose, smooth, ca. 1.5 cm in diam. Fl. and fr. summer and autumn.

S. America, widely cultivated for its edible tubers (potatoes) elsewhere.

Distribution: Native to the mountainous areas of Mexico, Chile and Peru (S. America). Cultivated throughout the world.

2100-2600 m

Fl. Per.: May-August.

Widely cultivated throughout China, also in other temperate regions of the world [Native to South America]