Potato

Potato

Potato Solanum tuberosum produces tubers underground that are used as a food staple in many countries. This species originated in the Peruvian Andes and was taken to Europe in the 1500s and from there to North America. Potato plants have white, or pink-purple flowers and round green fruits about the size of cherries. Stems leaves and fruits contain the poisonous alkaloid solanin but the tubers are good to eat as long as they are not left in the light to turn green. There are many varieties of the cultivated potato. [CH] {FW}