The tater is a great food manufacturer and easy to develop . Unlike some other vegetable works , however , the only edible part a potato produces is the genus Tuber . Potato leaves can be toxic and even some other parts of the plant life can cause problems given the veracious conditions . That ’s because potatoes protect themselves with solanine .
Solanaceous Plants
Potatoes belong to a group of plant life called nightshades . Other members of the nightshade family include tomatoes , pepper and eggplants . close relate to tobacco , which produces the poison we call nicotine , nightshade plants produce solanine . The alkaloid is part of a potato ’s chemic defense team organisation , protecting the plant life from insects , diseases and other predatory animal .
About Solanine
Solanine is make in potato plants when they are expose to the Lord’s Day . That ’s one reason why potatoes arehilled – covered several times with soil as they get . If the tubers are exposed to light , their solanine cognitive content can be in high spirits . Even when properly hill , tater may still contain solanine . The solanine is also present in pullulate stems , fruits and folio , in varying concentrations .
Solanine Poisoning
The symptoms of solanine poisoning depart accord to the amount exhaust and an individual ’s sensitiveness to the alkaloid . Potato leaves are likely to be quite high in solanine . Symptoms include :
Cooking Potatoes
While the whole murphy plant , include the leaf , contains solanine , tater that are not fleeceable are still safe to deplete . Research has shown that when the tuber are boil or fried , the solanine percolate into the water or petroleum . You should still trim obviousgreenspots from the Irish potato , as they are an indication of sun exposure , which increases solanine . In any typeface , do n’t eat the leaves , raw or fake .
“Irish” Potatoes vs. Sweet Potatoes
It ’s potential that any confusion about whether you could eat on potato leaves come from the name potato being used for two very unlike plants . The sweet potato is not a nightshade – it go to the morning glory family . The shoots , stemsand leaf of the sweet-scented tater are not only edible , they are an important food source in many tropical areas . They are usually steamed or stir - fried .
Other Interesting Leaf Facts
Although potato leaf are not edible , they have some other interesting qualities . Leaves are where the first sign of an worm plague will pass . The Colorado potato mallet and its larvae can carry off a spud battleground in a couple of weeks , leaving only skeleton in the closet . Some potatoes have hairy leaf that can avail drive back this pest . Leaves can also argue nutrient problems and too much or too picayune piss .
