Field ManualAll plants

Potato
Solanum tuberosum
Family: SolanaceaeOrigin: Andean South America
- Root/Tuber Crop
- Cool Season
Pet & Human Safety
Toxic to people and pets
The tuber flesh itself (once cooked, without green portions) is the food crop and not a hazard. The risk is the green parts: foliage, stems, sprouts ('eyes'), and any green-tinted skin on the tuber. Clemson HGIC's own wording: 'Green portions on potatoes are poisonous, taste bitter, and contain an alkaloid': Clemson does not itself name the alkaloid as solanine. The alkaloid is commonly identified elsewhere (broader toxicology literature, and ASPCA's same-genus tomato entry, which does name solanine as its toxic principle) as a solanine/chaconine-type glycoalkaloid. Pet-facing signs, by analogy to ASPCA's tomato listing (same genus, Solanum, same toxic-principle class, in ASPCA's own words): 'Hypersalivation, inappetence, severe gastrointestinal upset, depression, weakness, dilated pupils, slow heart rate.' Keep pets away from potato plants in the garden and don't feed green or sprouted potatoes.
Poison control
If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.
Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.
Naturalist Lore
Historical Background & Breeding Lore
The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.
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- Hardiness zones
Grown as a cool-season annual in all US zones
- Mature size
Foliage: 1-3 ft. Grown in rows, plants spaced roughly 10 in apart.
How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.
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Botanical Anatomy & Characteristics
How the flowers and leaves are built and which pollinators visit, where we have them.
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Field Doctor
What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.
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Vintage Plates
Old botanical drawings from public libraries are in the app, for plants where we have them.
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