41 



ON THE NATIVE COUNTRY OF THE 



■u 



-^V 



P O T A T O E. 



- " IT has long been a desideratum among Botanists to ascertain the native country of the Potatoe, SoIa?mm 

 tuberosum. I beg leave now to offer some communications on that subject, which I have lately received in a 

 letter from the celebrated author of the Flora Peruviana^ Don Jose Pavon^ who resided many years in South 

 America, dated Madrid, September 23, 1817, who says, "The Solanim tuberosum grows wild in the environs 

 of Lima, in Peru, and fourteen leagues from Lima on the coast; and I myself have found it wild in the king- 

 dom of Chili. I can assure you this is the truth. The Indians cultivate it in great abundance in Peru and in 

 Chih, and call it Papas. There are other wild species, such as Solanum montanum which also gives a radix 

 tuherosa." Of this I have received from the above-mentioned author of the Flora Peruviana fine wild speci- 

 mens 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 Domhey and Ruiz." I have lately received from M. Pavon very fine wild specimens of 

 Solanum tuberosum, collected by himself in Peru. Don Francisco Zea, companion and friend of the celebrated 

 Mutls, 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 F6 de Bogota, observing, at the same time, that the reason why Baron de Hum- 

 boldt 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. Bald- 

 win, an excellent American botanist, who has lately returned from the coast of South America, in the Con- 

 ..ress frigate, of the United States, he says, " I found many plants that appeared to be new, during my excur- 

 sion in South America, and had the satisfaction of submitting most of my specimens to M. Boupland, who 

 has settled himself in the vicinity of Buenos Ayres. It was not the least pleasing of my d.scovenes to find the 

 famous Solanum tuberosum growing spontaneously among the rocks, on Monte Video; in a part of the country, 

 too, where this valuable vegetable is not cultivated. I also found it on the same side of the nver m the v.cmUy 

 of Maldonado." A species of Solanum was found by Commcrson in the neighbourhood of Monte Video, 

 named by Dunal, in his S„sis of ike Genus Solanum, page 5, Solanu.n Commersonii from ^;P--- P- 

 .ervcd in the Museum at Paris. It is also described in the Supplement to the EnajolopeM MeM.ue, 

 Vol III p 740. I have no doubt that this is the same with the plant found by Dr. Ba dwm. On makmg 

 inauiry,"relati„g to this plant, of Captain Bowles, wd.o has lately returned from the South A— sta.on, 

 nd who has res dcd for a considerable time at Buenos Ayres, he told me he knew .t wel , and that . .a com- 



very small roots, of a bitter taste 



>f 



,1- rhii; iw Air Cildcleu-rh, a gentleman who has been several years 

 ,,,<. The wild potatoe has been gathered .n Ch, '^^^^-^^^^l-^;^^ , ^^^ ,^^„ ,„,,„,,,, ;„ ,„e garden of 



