Coleus rotundifolius
Coleus rotundifolius, synonyms Plectranthus rotundifolius and Solenostemon rotundifolius,[1] commonly known as native or country potato in Africa and called Chinese potato in India, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the mint family (Lamiaceae) native to tropical Africa. It is cultivated for its edible tubers primarily in West Africa, as well as more recently in parts of Asia, especially India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia.[2]
| Coleus rotundifolius | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Coleus |
| Species: | C. rotundifolius |
| Binomial name | |
| Coleus rotundifolius (Poir.) A.Chev. & Perrot[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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C. rotundifolius is closely related to the coleus plants widely cultivated as ornamentals and is now again placed in the genus Coleus, after being placed in the defunct genus Solenostemon and in Plectranthus.[1]
Use and cultivation
The egg-shaped tubers of the native potato appear very similar to the unrelated true potato, though they are smaller than modern commercial varieties. They are typically boiled, but may also be roasted, baked, or fried. Their flavor is bland, but sweeter than Coleus esculentus.[2]
Native potato is overwhelmingly a subsistence crop, though flour milling is reported in Burkina Faso.[2]
C. rotundifolius is one of three Coleus species native to Africa grown for their edible tubers and using the same vernacular names. The others, C. esculentus and C. edulis, native to southern Africa and Ethiopia, respectively, have not spread beyond Africa. Its cultivation has been largely displaced by the spread of cassava, which was introduced by the Portuguese to Africa from South America about 500 years ago.[3]
Names
In Africa, Coleus rotundifolius is also known as the Hausa potato or Sudan potato, in addition to the names native potato and country potato.[3]
| Vernacular names of Coleus rotundifolius | ||
|---|---|---|
| Region | Language | Term |
| International and Europe | ||
| English | Chinese, country, Coleus, Frafra, Hausa, native, Sudan, or Zulu potato | |
| French | pomme de terre de Madagascar, du Soudan ou d'Afrique coléus à tubercules | |
| Africa | ||
| Chad | ngaboyo | |
| Dioula, Minianka | fabirama, fabourama | |
| Frafra (Gurenne) | pesa, pessa | |
| Hausa | tumuku | |
| Mandinka, Bambara | fa-birama. fabirama (fabourama) usu ni gé (oussou-ni-gué) usu ni fin (oussou-ni-fing) | |
| Mossi (Mooré) | peinssa | |
| South Asia | ||
| Kannada | ಸಂಬ್ರಾಣಿ saṃbrāni (sambrani) | |
| Konkani | कूक kūka (kooka)
And झाड़े कणगा ( Jhade Kanaga) | |
| Malayalam | കൂർക്ക kūrkka (koorka, koorkka) | |
| Sinhala | ඉන්නල innala | |
| Tamil | சிறு கிழங்கு ciṟu kiḻaṅku (siru kizhangu) | |
| South East Asia | ||
| Thai | มันขี้หนู, man khee nuu | |
| Indonesian | kentang hitam, Jawa, or kleci | |
| Javanese | kentang ireng | |
| Malay | ubi keling, ubi kemili | |
See also
- Coleus esculentus (Livingstone potato)
References
- Paton, Alan J.; Mwanyambo, Montfort; Govaerts, Rafaël H.A.; Smitha, Kokkaraniyil; Suddee, Somran; Phillipson, Peter B.; Wilson, Trevor C.; Forster, Paul I. & Culham, Alastair (2019). "Nomenclatural changes in Coleus and Plectranthus (Lamiaceae): a tale of more than two genera". PhytoKeys. 129: 1–158. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.129.34988. PMC 6717120. PMID 31523157.
- National Research Council (2006). Lost crops of Africa: Volume II: Vegetables. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. pp. 269–285. ISBN 0-309-66582-5.
- Blench, Roger (2006). Archaeology, language, and the African past. Altamira Press. ISBN 9780759104655.