Solanum colombianum

Description

Solanum colombianum distribution Map note

Solanum colombianum is a woodland species ranging from southern Ecuador through Colombia and into Venezuela.  Plants up to two feet tall.  Stolons to about 16 inches.  Tubers whitish, ovoid, to about an inch.  Flowers white to light blue.  Berries conical.  Grows from roughly 7,200 to 12,500 feet (2200 to 3800 m) (Correll 1962).

The specific epithet, colombianum, refers to Colombia.  While there is no completely standardized pronunciation for scientific names, the most common way to pronounce this species is probably so-LAY-num ko-LOM-bee-AH-num.

S. colombianum and S. flahaultii are closely related and may either be part of the same species or may interbreed where their ranges overlap.

Resistances

Vega (1995) found that this species is less frost tolerant than domesticated potato.  I have observed a surprisingly high degree of frost resistance in some accessions.  This species has no reported resistance to early blight or late blight, but it has repeatedly remained healthy well into the autumn here, when domesticated species and other wild potatoes routinely succumb to both.

Condition Type Level of Resistance Source
Alternaria solani (Early Blight) Fungus Not resistant Jansky 2008
Frost Abiotic Somewhat resistant Machida-Hirano 2015 (as S. moscopanum)
Globodera pallida (Pale Cyst Nematode) Invertebrate Not resistant Bachmann-Pfabe 2019
Pectobacterium carotovorum (Blackleg/Soft Rot) Bacteria Somewhat resistant Chung 2011
Phytophthora infestans (Late Blight) Fungus Not resistant Gonzales 2002
Phytophthora infestans (Late Blight) Fungus Not resistant Bachmann-Pfabe 2019
Phytophthora infestans (Late Blight) Fungus Somewhat resistant Machida-Hirano 2015
Potato Virus Y (PVY) Virus Not resistant Cai 2011

Glykoalkaloid content

I have found no accounts of glycoalkaloid content for this species.  Tubers vary from moderate bitterness to apparent palatability and I suspect that it would be possible to make edible selections of this species.

Images

Seedling of the wild potato species Solanum colombianum
Solanum colombianum seedling
Aerial plant of the wild potato species Solanum colombianum
Solanum colombianum plant
Berries of the wild potato species Solanum colombianum
Solanum colombianum berries
Flower of the wild potato species Solanum colombianum
Solanum colombianum flower
Berries of the wild potato species Solanum colombianum
Solanum colombianum berries

Cultivation

I have have found this species difficult to germinate and have been unsuccessful in getting the small number of seedlings produced to maturity.

Towill (1983) found that seeds of this species stored at 1 to 3 degrees C germinated at 62% after 20 years.

Breeding

Watanabe (1991) found that 4.2% of varieties of this species produced 2n pollen.

Crosses with S. tuberosum

Female Male Berry Set
Seed Set Germ Ploidy Source
S. colombianum 4x S. tuberosum 4x None None Jackson (1999)
S. colombianum 4x (as S. tundalomense) S. tuberosum 4x Low Moderate Jackson (1999)
S. colombianum 6x (as S. moscopanum) S. tuberosum 4x Moderate Moderate Jackson (1999)
S. tuberosum 4x S. colombianum 4x (as S. tundalomense) Minimal None Jackson (1999)
S. tuberosum 4x S. colombianum 6x (as S. moscopanum) None None Jackson (1999)

Crosses with other species

Female Male Berry Set
Seed Set Germ Ploidy Source
S. chomatophilum S. colombianum (as S. jaenense) Yes Very low Ochoa 2004
S. colombianum (as S. jaenense) S. chomatophilum Yes No Ochoa 2004

References

Solanum colombianum at Solanaceae Source

Solanum colombianum at GRIN Taxonomy

Solanum colombianum at CIP