Solanum jamesii

Solanum jamesii (common name, wild potato or Four Corners potato)[1] is a species of nightshade. Its range includes the southern United States. All parts of the plant, and especially the fruit, are toxic, containing solanine when it matures. The tubers were/are eaten raw or cooked by several Native American tribes[2][3], but they require leaching and boiling in clay in order to be rendered edible. The tubers are also extremely small when compared to familiar varieties of S. tuberosum. Escalante Valley in Utah boasts the oldest known cultivation sites of the Four Corners potato, dating back over 7,000 years, and the plant is so prevalent there that a former name for area was "Potato Valley"[4]. S. jamesii is sometimes grown in yards or gardens as an ornamental plant, and there have been recent experiments in Escalante, Utah to start growing it as a food vegetable again[5].

Solanum jamesii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Solanum
Species:	S. jamesii
Binomial name
Solanum jamesii Torr.