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Solanum brevicaule

Solanum brevicaule
Photo: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0

Solanum brevicaule is a tuberous wild potato relative from the Andes, native to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. It is grown mainly for breeding and research, and it needs cool, well-drained conditions with a dormant period.

Family
Solanaceae (Nightshade family)
Grows as
Bulb, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly during the growing season and reduce water as the foliage dies back.
Soil
Loose, well-drained loam or sandy loam with organic matter.
Temperature
10–25 °C; protect from frost.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Leaves, stems, unripe berries and sprouts contain solanine and other glycoalkaloids, which can cause nausea, vomiting and worse if eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
S. Peru to NW. Argentina
Climate
subtropical

About

Solanum brevicaule is a tuberous perennial plant of the family Solanaceae. The species is native to South America (Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru). It is related to the potato, but unlike the potato which is tetraploid, it has several levels of ploidy: diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid.

This species gives its name to the "Solanum brevicaule complex" which includes about twenty species of morphologically close wild potato species distributed between central Peru and northern Argentina, and are considered by some taxonomists to be the ancestors of the traditional varieties of potatoes grown in the Andrean regions.

Other Solanum plants

Dwarf Tamarillo · Solanum acaule · Sodaapple nightshade · Ethiopian nightshade · American black nightshade · Solanum arcanum · New Zealand nightshade · Solanum berthaultii · Tamarillo · Solanum cajanumense · Bitter Apple · Fuzzyfruit nightshade

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Solanum brevicaule by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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