Solanum jamesii: Evidence for Cultivation of Wild Potato Tubers by Ancestral Puebloan Groups

Abstract

The Solanaceae family of plants provides edible fruit (i.e., tomatoes, husk tomatoes, chili peppers, eggplant), tubers (i.e., potatoes), and plants used for leisure activities (i.e., tobacco) that are useful to humans. Several wild members of this family grow in the U.S. Southwest and some were eaten by the Ancestral Puebloans. We present evidence here that the Ancestral Puebloans in the Four-Corners region of the U.S. Southwest–the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah–were actively cultivating the tubers of Solanum jamesii to supplement their diets of domesticated corn (Zea mays), beans (Phaseolus sp.), and squash (Cucurbita sp.). This is supported by modern day Native American groups who have used this plant for food either now or in their recorded past. We also propose that this potato tuber was cultivated or allowed to grow in gardens or fields around some major population centers in Puebloan times and that the stands currently growing in or near some of those archaeological habitation sites are legacy stands directly descended from ancient efforts to manage the tubers for food. The plant's location at the northern limits of its current range offers support for this proposal. This potato tuber would have provided a dependable and excellent source of nutrition for the ancestral Puebloans as well.

Solanum jamesiias a Food Crop: History and Current Status of a Unique Potato

“…The fruit are small and green with very small seeds (Figure 4). These seeds are among the smallest of the Solanaceae family [4]. They are bitter in taste, and we have not observed animal consumption of fruits; however, that may be because of limited fruiting in the wild and limited time in the field.…”

Plant species richness at archaeological sites suggests ecological legacy of Indigenous subsistence on the Colorado Plateau

“…Tubers of this potato species are produced in abundance and can persist for 14 y underground ( 61 ). They are nutritious and available during the winter and spring, therefore extending occupancy all year long ( 19 , 48 ). Because of such ecological legacies, models may not predict the location or condition of living resources, especially those associated with well-developed archaeological sites.…”

“…However, humans also modify their surrounding environments in order to increase the abundance and diversity of local plant ( 6 – 11 ) and animal ( 12 – 15 ) resources. Such “human niche construction” is a hallmark of ancient and modern societies ( 16 , 17 ), having positive and negative impacts on global biodiversity while possibly creating enduring ecological legacies ( 18 – 21 ). This may be especially true for more sedentary and dense populations ( 22 , 4 ) that are more likely to find investment worthwhile ( 23 ) and to produce unintentional impacts.…”

Starch granule evidence for the earliest potato use in North America

“…jamesii is known to be highly nutritious, having twice the protein, zinc, and manganese and three times the calcium and iron content as S. tuberosum (32). Under optimal growing conditions in a greenhouse, a single "mother" tuber produced 125 progeny tubers during a 6-mo growing season.…”

“…Summer drought and autumn frost cause immediate senescence of shoots. Tubers, however, can persist underground for at least 8 y (33), achieving high densities and yielding at least 1.7 kg of starchy food per 10 m 2 of habitat area (32). Thus, a summer-active and highly productive herbaceous perennial would have provided a reliable, yearlong source of carbohydrate and minerals that significantly improved dietary quality.…”