Name: Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
Otherwise known as: Pomme de terre, Spuds, Earth Apple
Habitat: An annual tuber member of the Solanaceae family, growing up to 80cm with upright branched stems containing dark green, pinnate leaves with white or purple flowers, with yellow anthers, that transform into dark purple berries. Originally native to mountainous areas of South America but now cultivated throughout the temperate and semi-tropical world. All parts of the plant except the tubers are poisonous.
What does it do: The potato belongs to the same family as Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and shares similar chemical compounds, the main one being the glucoside alkaloid solanine. The plant was brought to Europe by the English adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, who introduced it to his estates in Ireland but mistakenly thought the edible part was the poisonous purple berries that caused considerable distress to those members of his entourage that consumed them. As a result he ordered them to be up-rooted, whereupon, his gardener discovered the tubers and promptly ate them, thereby ensuring the future of the potato as one of the world’s most valued staples. In the 16th century potatoes were preserved for the aristocracy and only became available to the masses a century later. It is recorded that the court of James 1 paid two shillings a pound for the tubers, which was the equivalent of a week’s wages for a court servant.
Potatoes contain vitamins B and C as well as Potassium and starch. In former times, ladies would have special pockets made in their dresses to accommodate a small potato as a remedy against rheumatism and gout. Preparations from raw potato juice were applied to swollen joints and haemorrhoids, it was also a country method for treating scalds and burns; grated tubers can be applied as a skin cleanser and as a method for reducing puffiness around the eyes. Potato water has long been a method for cleaning silver and for restoring the sheen to wood and leather.
Potatoes can be cooked in a variety of ways, but peeling reduces the nutrient value by 50 per cent. The tubers are a source of many spirituous liquors, namely Aquavit and a number of vodkas.
Next dangerous plant Friar’s Cowl
