On the Native Country of the Wild Potato, 8fc. 261 



cimen to be that of the type of the cultivated potato, and was 

 induced to do so by information received from Mr. Baldwin, an 

 American botanist, that he had found the Solanum tuberosum 

 wild, both at Monte Video, and in the vicinity of Maldonado, as 

 well as from Captain Bowles, who had resided a considerable 

 time at Buenos Ayres, and who had told him that this plant was 

 a common weed in the gardens and neighbourhood of Monte 

 Video. 



The above statements certainly confirm the existence of a 

 plant in sufficient abundance near the shores of the Rio de la 

 Plata, which Mr. Lambert identifies with Commerson's speci- 

 men ; but the proof that it is the Solanum tuberosum, in oppo- 

 sition to the decision of Mr. Dunal, rests only on the opinion of 

 Dr. Baldwin, and Captain Bowles, without the usual satisfactory 

 evidence of specimens, which have not been supplied by either 

 of these gentlemen. 



In order to elucidate the question as much as possible, I 

 applied to M. Desfontaines, Director of the Museum of Natural 

 History in the Jardin du Roi at Paris, for permission to have a 

 drawing made of Commerson's original specimen, which was 

 deposited in the Herbarium under his charge. With a liberality 

 and kindness which I cannot too highly compliment, the en- 

 tire specimen was, without delay, transmitted to me. It has 

 much the appearance of being in a dwarf or stunted state. 

 The label affixed to it is thus described; " Hispanis To- 

 raates — flores sunt palliduli — de la plage du pied du Morne 

 de Monte Video en Mai, 1767." The size of the blossom is 

 evidently larger than that of the S. tuberosum, under similar 

 circumstances ; the depth of the divisions of the flowers, and the 

 larger proportional size of the terminal leaf, present striking 

 differences from correspondent parts of the common potato. 



Toute la plante est converte de poils simples ; elle a les plus grands rap- 

 ports avec le Solanum tuberosum ; elle en difffere, 1°. par ses leuilles pro- 

 londeraent pinnatifides coraine cello de la l^onime de terre, mais dont les 

 foiioles sessiles ne sent pas altemativement in^'gales. 2°. par la foliole im- 

 paire, qui est tres grande. 3°. par la coroUe, qui est a cinq divisions non a 

 cinq angles. La racine de cette plante est encore inconuue. 



