the climbing potato
Anyone heard of a climbing potato? I tuned midway into a conversation
on the radio on this plant. It is said to be a native, with large heart- shaped leaves like a rainforest plant. The caller was given one from a friend near Nimbin. The fruit hangs like that on a passionfruit vine, and like ordinary spuds you wait for one to shoot before planting it. It was said that those who grow climbing potatoes can stop buying the underground spuds, so I gather that they must be used in much the same way. -- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email) |
"John Savage" wrote in message om... Anyone heard of a climbing potato? I tuned midway into a conversation on the radio on this plant. It is said to be a native, with large heart- shaped leaves like a rainforest plant. The caller was given one from a friend near Nimbin. The fruit hangs like that on a passionfruit vine, and like ordinary spuds you wait for one to shoot before planting it. It was said that those who grow climbing potatoes can stop buying the underground spuds, so I gather that they must be used in much the same way. -- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email) Sounds like a Hawaaian plant called Polypodium spectrum |
we had a potatoe vine round an old water tank - bloody awful thing - took
two years to kill it off. that said, people like them as a fast and furious cover all (and it does!) leslie "John Savage" wrote in message om... Anyone heard of a climbing potato? I tuned midway into a conversation on the radio on this plant. It is said to be a native, with large heart- shaped leaves like a rainforest plant. The caller was given one from a friend near Nimbin. The fruit hangs like that on a passionfruit vine, and like ordinary spuds you wait for one to shoot before planting it. It was said that those who grow climbing potatoes can stop buying the underground spuds, so I gather that they must be used in much the same way. -- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email) |
ok all said and done does it taste like a tater? and waht is it
related to the yam or something else? len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
"len gardener" wrote in message ... ok all said and done does it taste like a tater? and waht is it related to the yam or something else? len Yes Len, it is supposed to be something like a yam / sweet potato |
sounds interesting to say the least vincent,
reckon i'll havta look ionto this plant and learn a bit. ta len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
g'day leslie,
i've heard of a weed vine called the potatoe vine don't know if it bears any relationship or resemblence to any sort of potato, just wondering if what is mentioned here is something different? len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:14:28 +0000, John Savage wrote:
Anyone heard of a climbing potato? I tuned midway into a conversation on the radio on this plant. It is said to be a native, with large heart- shaped leaves like a rainforest plant. The caller was given one from a friend near Nimbin. The fruit hangs like that on a passionfruit vine, and like ordinary spuds you wait for one to shoot before planting it. It was said that those who grow climbing potatoes can stop buying the underground spuds, so I gather that they must be used in much the same way. This is a enviromental weed, is causes big problems in bush land, destroy it whenever you can. It is a delcared weed in many states. |
len gardener wrote:
g'day leslie, i've heard of a weed vine called the potatoe vine don't know if it bears any relationship or resemblence to any sort of potato, just wondering if what is mentioned here is something different? Hope so. Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia) is also called Potato Vine and it is a major pest of urban bushland. Has the habit of growing profusely up and over bushes, shrubs and small trees. Eventually the weight of the fleshy leaves just pulls everything to the ground and the other plant dies. Major pest to remove as you either max soil toxicity or spend year after year grubbing out the roots, etc. |
you're right. has nothing to do with the plant they're talking about - but
it took a few posts to realise it! leslie "len gardener" wrote in message ... g'day leslie, i've heard of a weed vine called the potatoe vine don't know if it bears any relationship or resemblence to any sort of potato, just wondering if what is mentioned here is something different? len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
John Savage wrote:
Anyone heard of a climbing potato? Has anyone else had any success chasing this down? Nothing on ABC radio sites. There is a major environmental pest Madeira Vine (Andredera cordifolia) that is also called potato vine that Les Robinson's Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, says is native to South America and that the aerial tubers are eaten in Mexico and Southern Europe. Having pulled tons of it out of Sydney bushland, I can tell you it doesn't produce much edible matter. http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au...chapter10.html talks about a Climbing Potato Fern in Hawaii Seems to be something in web pages in ZA (South Africa), but I can not always load them. This would kill the Australian Native side. http://www.botany.unp.ac.za/rcpgd/eb...l_medicine.htm mentions # Bowiea volubilis (English: climbing potato, Zulu: igibisila, gifisila). http://www.gardeningeden.co.za/altmedical.html also mentions Bowiea volubilis. So it definitely isn't a native. This gives some cultivation info on Bowiea volubilis (also called sea -onion somewhere else) http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/198501019.html http://www.merriments.co.uk/plantlist_l_z.htm talks about Crispum glasnevin (hint species is lower case) Climbing potato And this http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plant...ages/860.shtml indentifies it as a Cilean Potato Tree. So, I've come to the conclusion that it might all be a furphy at best and Madeira vine at worst. |
ok vincent back to you mate,
i did a google and got zilch meaningful info' apart from there is some vine thingy with heart shaped leaves in the land of the grass skirts and then their is a fern with the same name so figure it aint the fern. my appatite is wetted, waiting with baited breath. ta len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
"len gardener" wrote in message ... g'day leslie, i've heard of a weed vine called the potatoe vine don't know if it bears any relationship or resemblence to any sort of potato, just wondering if what is mentioned here is something different? len I think that one you refer to is in the Deadly Nightshade family |
On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:07:37 +1100, Terry Collins
wrote: len gardener wrote: g'day leslie, i've heard of a weed vine called the potatoe vine don't know if it bears any relationship or resemblence to any sort of potato, just wondering if what is mentioned here is something different? Hope so. Madeira Vine (Anredera cordifolia) is also called Potato Vine and it is a major pest of urban bushland. Has the habit of growing profusely up and over bushes, shrubs and small trees. Eventually the weight of the fleshy leaves just pulls everything to the ground and the other plant dies. Major pest to remove as you either max soil toxicity or spend year after year grubbing out the roots, etc. I think this is the OP's plant It is a major problem in Hawaii. Lots of tubers to eat (aerial and in the ground) so long as you let it grow large enough to wreck things as you so vividly describe. I am in my fifth year of trying to get rid of it. Fortunately the heart shaped leaves are readily seen when the vine pushes up to 50 cms or so. Must catch them early before the aerial tubers grow, fall and contaminate the ground all over again. Tubers sold as food in ethnic markets in South America, according to Cornucopia II. |
Richard Wright wrote:
I am in my fifth year of trying to get rid of it. Fortunately the heart shaped leaves are readily seen when the vine pushes up to 50 cms or so. Must catch them early before the aerial tubers grow, fall and contaminate the ground all over again. Learn to recognise the shoots and follow them down and dig out the roots & tubers in the ground, It is the only way. They are still like potatoes in that if you miss the smallest bit (pinhead?), it grows again. |
In article ,
"Vincent" wrote: i've heard of a weed vine called the potatoe vine don't know if it bears any relationship or resemblence to any sort of potato, just wondering if what is mentioned here is something different? I think that one you refer to is in the Deadly Nightshade family Er, all potatoes are -- they're all Solanaceae. Obviously the deadly nightshade isn't a good one to cultivate, but i'm not sure we even have it here in Australia. Black Nightshade is a fairly common weed in Sydney -- has edible black berries. Bit seedy, but sweet. Spuds, tomatoes, eggplants, ground-cherries, chillies and capsicum too -- all edible, and all related to deadly nightshade, datura and tobacco. I always think of this when people make much of the fact that there are no poisonous members of the cabbage family. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "In Melbourne there is plenty of vigour and eagerness, but there is nothing worth being eager or vigorous about." Francis Adams, The Australians, 1893. |
John Savage wrote:
Anyone heard of a climbing potato? Apparently not, at least not the edible one of which I spoke! Thanks for all responses. If further details come to light I'll be sure to post them. -- John Savage (my news address is not valid for email) |
G'day All, I too am familiar with a weed called potato vine, and a mongrel of a weed it is. It has thick green leaves like a succulent, with hundreds of rough spud like growths forming along the stem at the nodes. When they drop they self propagate and off you go again. When you spray it, it only dies down to the next node,and when you cut it, the thick leaves refuse to dehydrate,growing like cuttings, and all the spuds fall of and start again. I've been told by one experienced bush regenerator that in one instance, a land fill area, that it came back up from over four meters below ground.Apparently it was a popular plant to grow over the old 'thunderboxes', as it was quick, not unpleasant looking, gave good shade and shelter for the 'throne', the cows and 'roos largely left it alone, and finally the spud was used as an instant cure for constipation. I believe it is on many banned weed lists and I probably won't remember its proper name until I send this post. It doesn't look anything like Solanaceae, but in regard to Chookie's post, I understand that the toxin in green spuds is closely related to the 'nightshade', and tobacco is toxic if ingested rather than chewed or smoked (( or you could say it just kills you quicker that way :-), and chewing tobacco isn't swallowed, just to complicate things). China Wingham NSW |
G'day again,
Just a couple of links potato vine, but none look like the plant I was thinking of. The fist is morning glory, and the other two are Solanaceae. Not much help really. http://hortiplex.gardenweb.com/plants/p1/gw1020862.html http://hortiplex.gardenweb.com/plants/p1/gw1038092.html http://hortiplex.gardenweb.com/plants/p1/gw1038165.html China Wingham NSW |
On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:25:03 +0000, China wrote:
G'day again, Just a couple of links potato vine, but none look like the plant I was thinking of. The fist is morning glory, and the other two are Solanaceae. Not much help really. Have a look here http://www.brisrain.webcentral.com.a...2/madeira.html |
G'day Jack, Yes that's the mongrel I was on about. Truly a weapon of mass destruction, better tell Bush and Honest John! China Wingham NSW |
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