26 On the Native Comitiy of the Potato ^ 



abundance in Peru and in Chili, and call it Papas, There are 

 other wild species, such as Solanum montanum which also gives 

 a radix tuberosa." Of this I have received from the above- 

 mentioned author of the Flora Peruviana fine wild specimens 

 with the root. In another letter, dated Madrid, Nov. 10, 

 he again repeats, " I mentioned to you that Solanum tuberosum 

 grows spontaneously near Lima, and in the kingdom of Chili, 

 where it was also found by my companions Dombey and Ruiz ;" 

 I have lately received from Don Pavon very fine wild specimens 

 of Solanum tuberosum, collected by himself in Peru. Don 

 Francisco Zea, companion and friend of the celebrated Mutis, 

 who long resided in South America, assured me, when he was 

 in this country, that he had often found it wild in the forests 

 near Santa Fe de Bogota, observing at the same time, that the 

 reason why Baron de Humboldt had not found it when he was 

 in that country, was, because he had not time to examine those 

 places where it grew. In a letter (addressed to Mr. Frazer of 

 Sloane-street, Chelsea,) lately received from Dr. Baldwin, an 

 excellent American botanist, who has lately returned from the 

 coast of South America, in the Congress frigate, of the United 

 States, he says, " I found many plants that appeared to be new 

 during my excursion in South America, and had the satisfaction 

 of submitting most of my specimens to M. Bonpland, who has 

 settled himself in the vicinity of Buenos Ayres. It was not the 

 least pleasing of my discoveries to find the famous Solanum 

 tuberosum growing spontaneously among the rocks on Monte 

 Video ; in a part of the country, too, where this valuable vege- 

 table is not cultivated. I also found it on the same side of the 

 river in the vicinity of Maldonado." A species of Solanum was 

 found by Commerson in the neighbourhood of Monte Video, 

 named by Dunal, in his Synopsis of the Genus Solanum, page 5, 

 Solanum Commersonii, from a specimen preserved in the Museum 

 at Paris. It is also described in the Supplement to the Ency- 

 clopedic Methodique, Vol. III., p. 746. I have no doubt that this 

 is the same with the plant found by Dr. Baldwin. On making 

 inquiry, relating to this plant, of Captain Bowles, who has 

 lately returned from the South American station, and who has 



