potato
Sign in to saveThe potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
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A potato is a starchy vegetable that grows underground as part of the Solanum tuberosum plant and originally comes from the Americas. It matters because it serves as a staple food eaten widely across many parts of the world.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- perennial plant
- Parent taxon
- Solanum
- Image
- Dettaglio - Solanaceae Solanum tuberosum Lin. Erbario Frizzi Perugia n. 3916.jpg
Show 8 more facts
- P105
- species
- P4000
- berry
- P1672
- potato starch
- P1889
- potato
Article
31 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Description
- Phylogeny
- History
- Domestication
- Spread
- Breeding
- Varieties
- Genetic engineering
- Cultivation
- Seed potatoes
- Phases of growth
- Pests and diseases
- Harvest
- Storage
- Production
- Effects of climate change on production
- Changes in pests and diseases
- Adaptation strategies
- Nutrition
- Toxicity
- Uses
- Culinary
- Other uses
- Cultural significance
- In mythology
- In art
- In popular culture
- See also
- References
- Further reading
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United States to southern Chile. Genetic studies show that the cultivated potato has a single origin, in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia. Potatoes were domesticated there about 7,000–10,000 years ago from a species in the S. brevicaule complex. Many varieties of the potato are cultivated in the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous.