Common Name: Papa del Monte

General Information

Solanum demissum is a herbaceous perennial plant producing annual stems up to 60cm tall from a perennial, tuberous rootstock[]. When growing at high elevations, the plant characteristically produces a low rosette, but at lower elevations it often assumes an upright or bushy habit[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for its edible fruits and tubers, which are consumed locally.

Known Hazards

Although providing many well-known foods for people, including the potato, tomato, pepper and aubergine, most species in this genus also contain toxic alkaloids. Whilst these alkaloids can make the plant useful in treaing a range of medical conditions, they can also cause problems such as nausea, vomiting, salivation, drowsiness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weakness and respiratory depression[].
Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Central America - Guatemala to northern Mexico at elevations from 1,900 - 3,700 metres[].

Habitat

Fir and pine; oak; alder; or juniper forests, often in very rich organic soil, in clearings or edges of dense forests, sometimes in deep shade, among shrubs and forest undergrowth, roadside thickets, grasslands at elevations of 1,900 - 3,700 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Tubers - cooked[, ]. The tubers are added to soups and stews, as much for flavouring as for their food value[]. The usually ellipsoid tubers are up to 6cm long[].

Fruits - cooked and eaten as a sweet, without the addition of sugar[]. The fully ripe fruit is said to have the aroma of mangoes, papayas or wild strawberries[]. The globose to ovoid, light to medium green fruit, which sometimes has smooth white dots, is 10 - 25mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

This species is considered to be of potential value in the production of blight and frost resistant strains in our cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum)[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in trays in a nursery. 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 when 10cm or more tall.
Division of the tubers when the plant is dormant

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