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Potato Botany
Potato originate from the highlands of Ecuador and Peru and are a species of perennial vegetable plants grown for their food value in most countries around the world. They are one of the worlds most important food crops. There are thousands of different varieties of potato around the world and they are the most common food crop grown and eaten in Western civilisation. The botanical name is Solanum Tuberosum from the family Solanaceae and they are related to deadly nightshade and tomatoes. They are tubers which are swollen stems modified to act as a store for nutrition which has been made by the leaves. Tubers grow from the roots which start from the bottom of the stems. The tubers have several buds, ‘eyes’ which produce stems that will bear leaves, flowers and eventually fruits. In temperate climates potatoes are grown as first earlies, second earlies and main crop, giving a succession of crops ready for harvest from May through to October. Nutritional value of potatoes, they contain, Fat, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Potassium and are low in Calories. They are easy to grow, need little looking after, are easy to harvest and most varieties store well. They can be cooked in a thousand different ways and served with many other types of food as part of a balanced diet.
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