Pitiquiña
Solanum stenotomum
Family: Solanaceae
What it is like
Solanum stenotomum is a PERENNIAL. It is frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0
Where it is found
Not known
S. America - Peru.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Tuber - cooked. It is boiled and then frozen before being eaten. A good nutty flavour, it is rich in starch and contains unusually high amounts of protein and vitamin C.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
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 occasionally cultivated in the Andes, some strains are fairly frost-resistant. Plants might have strict daylength requirements and may yield poorly in temperate zones because they need short-days in order to induce tuber-formation. A diploid species producing fertile seed, it is considered to be the most ancient of the cultivated potatoes. Tubers require a dormant period before they will resprout and can be stored for 3 - 4 months.
Propagating it: 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.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
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.