Solanum phureja

Juz. & Bukasov

Phureja

SolanaceaeRootsPotential hazards — see below

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(c) Robert Koller, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Chris Ecroyd, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Root, Tuber

The tubers are cooked and eaten. They are high in vitamin C, starch, and protein, and have a stronger flavour and firmer texture than the cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum.

Known Hazards

Raw potatoes contain toxic glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is found in other plants in the same family, Solanaceae, which includes such plants as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) and tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), as well as food plants like tomato. These compounds, which protect the potato plant from its predators, are especially concentrated in the aerial parts of the plant. The tubers are low in these toxins, unless they are exposed to light, which makes them go green. Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber. Different potato varieties contain different levels of glycoalkaloids. The 'Lenape' variety, released in 1967, was withdrawn in 1970 as it contained high levels of glycoalkaloids. Since then, breeders of new varieties test for this, sometimes discarding an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep glycoalkaloid levels below 200 mg/kg (0.0032 oz/lb). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, their solanine concentrations can go well above this limit, with higher levels in the potato's skin.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows at lower altitudes and sprouts quickly. This allows 2 or more plantings each year. This means it needs to be in a continuously mild climate. They are adapted to short day locations and cannot tolerate frost.

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, South America, Venezuela,

Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

How to Identify

A herb. It is a potato relative. It has 2 sets of chromosomes. [or Solanum tuberosum Phureja Group]

How to Grow

Succeeds in most soils. Dislikes wet or heavy clay soils. 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. This plant is one of the S. American species of potatoes. It is not frost hardy but can probably be grown in much the same way as potatoes are grown by planting out the tubers in spring and harvesting in the autumn. It is cultivated for its tubers in the Andes, there are many named varieties. Plants might have strict daylength requirements and may yield poorly in temperate zones because they need short-days in order to induce tuber-formation. Tubers can be harvested in 3 - 4 months from planting out. Tubers from this species lack a period of dormancy, a useful trait in warmer climates than Britain where 2 - 3 crops can be grown but it makes the plant very problematic for temperate areas. This potato has become popular in the Netherlands because of its resistance to disease. (The report does not say if it is grown there or imported.) A diploid species, it probably arose from S. stenotomum through selection for short dormancy. It has been hybridized with the common potato to impart greater heat tolerance to that species.

Propagation: Sow seed in early spring in a warm greenhouse. Prick seedlings out into a fairly rich compost as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on quickly. Plant out after the last expected frosts. Alternatively, propagate by division. Harvest tubers in autumn once frost has cut back the top-growth, store in a cool, frost-free place over winter, and replant in April.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

None known

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Ullucu is a tender perennial herb. It grows in well-drained sandy, loamy, or clay soils with neutral to slightly alkaline pH. The plant tolerates semi-shade or full sun and prefers consistently moist soil conditions.

Other Information

It is cultivated in some places.

Notes

There are about 1400 Solanum species.

Names & Synonyms

Solanum ascasabii HawkesSolanum caniarense Juz. & BukasovSolanum cardenasii HawkesSolanum phureja var. pujeri Hawkes

References (7)

Grun, P., 1990, The Evolution of Cultivated Potatoes. Economic Botany, Vol. 44, No. 3, Supplement: New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of New World Domesticated Plants pp. 39-55
Hermandez Bermejo, J.E., and Leon, J. (Eds.), 1994, Neglected Crops. 1492 from a different perspective. FAO Plant Production and Protection Series No 26. FAO, Rome. p 31
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Samuels, J., 2015, Biodiversity of Food Species of the Solanaceae Family: A Preliminary Taxonomic Inventory of Subfamily Solanoideae. Resources 2015, 4. 277-322
Trudy vsecouz. sezda genetike 3:605. 1929 (Proc. U.S.S.R.Congr. Genet.)
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)
Velasquez-Milla, D., et al, 2011, Ecological and socio-cultural factors influencing in situ conservation of crop diversity by traditional Andean households in Peru. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 7:40