Wild Potato, Solanum x edinense

Wild potato information and growing instructions

Solanum x edinense information and growing instructions

We classify true potato seeds as breeding seed; germination is not guaranteed

This product may produce plants with toxic levels of potato glycoalkaloids

This variety is offered intermittently and in small quantities.

Solanum x edinense is a naturally occurring hybrid between domesticated potatoes and the wild species S. demissum.  It was one of the first wild species used in potato breeding and is valuable for conferring late blight resistance genes from S. demissum.  This species can cross directly with domesticated potatoes.  Plants range considerably in form, with some looking very similar to domesticated potatoes and others being low growing, with narrow foliage, similar to the wild parent.  All, unfortunately, have long stolons, so these plants are probably best grown in pots.  They flower heavily but set seed poorly, probably as a consequence of their hybrid nature.  S. x edinense is pentaploid and odd ploidies can interfere with seed production.  Although the seed set is low, the plants do produce seeds, particularly if they are pollinated by domesticated potatoes.  The tubers of some types are mildly bitter, while others are palatable.  Seed germination is fairly slow and irregular.

Tuber packets contain tubers from more than one accession/phenotype.

The TPS offered this year is probably mostly hybridized with domesticated potato.  I pollinated the plants regularly with domesticated potato pollen.  There is a good chance of getting some progeny that are similar to domesticated potatoes but with improved late blight and frost resistance.  Please note that seed packets contain only 20 seeds.  Because the seed set is low and all the hand pollination is labor intensive, I either had to raise the price or lower the seed count.