Solanum ajanhuiri

Solanum ajanhuiri, known as ajanhuiri, is a potato crop. It is perennial, so it lives for several years. It belongs to the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Kew gives Bolivia as its native range. Other sources list both Bolivia and southern Peru. People grow it for food in the high Andes. They also gather tubers from plants in the wild. Sources differ on how they group potatoes. This taxon includes diploid forms, with two sets of chromosomes.

Plants reach about 1.3–2.3 feet [0.4–0.7 metres] tall. One source gives a height of 1.6 feet [0.5 metres]. Its edible tubers give it its main garden value. The flowers have both male and female organs. The accounts give no flower colour or bloom season. They give no details of leaves, stems, or fruit. It grows on cold, windy ground in the Andes. Records place it at 9,200–13,450 feet [2,800–4,100 metres] above sea level.

Ajanhuiri grows in sun or part shade. It prefers moist soil. Once plants take root, they can cope with drought. They can also withstand hail. It grows in many soils but dislikes wet, heavy clay. Rich soil with plenty of organic matter gives better yields. It does best in soil that is a little acid. Scab can harm tubers in limy soil. Soil low in humus also poses this risk. Sources say it withstands frost down to about 23°F [−5°C]. Yet PFAF calls it frost tender and lists USDA zones 9–11. These notes on hardiness do not fully agree.

PFAF suggests planting tubers in spring and harvesting in autumn. This follows the usual yearly cycle for growing potatoes. Harvest once frost harms the growth above ground. Keep tubers cool and free from frost through winter. Plant them again in spring. PFAF names April in its growing calendar. You can also raise plants from seed. Sow in a warm greenhouse in early spring. Move seedlings into rich compost once they can withstand handling. Plant them outdoors after the last expected frost.

Cooked tubers have much dry matter and provide vitamin C. Many forms taste bitter. Some have sweet, floury tubers. Andean growers freeze-dry tubers to make chuño. This makes them less bitter. The evidence supports eating prepared tubers, not other plant parts. PFAF reports no specific finding on this species' toxicity. Its wider warning concerns poisonous parts of related plants. That warning does not show this species' precise toxicity. PFAF lists no known uses as medicine or for other nonfood needs.