''Solanum commersonii'' is a species of

wild potato Wild potato may refer to: * Several species belonging to the genus ''Solanum'' section '' Petota'', such as ''Solanum jamesii'', ''Solanum berthaultii'', etc. * '' Thladiantha dubia'' (not related to potato) * '' Hedysarum alpinum'', a species of fl ...

in the family

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...

. It is native to southern Brazil, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina, and has been introduced to

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

. It is being extensively studied for its resistance to root knot nematode, soft rot, blackleg, bacterial wilt,

verticillium wilt Verticillium wilt is a wilt disease affecting over 350 species of eudicot plants. It is caused by six species of ''Verticillium'' fungi: ''V. dahliae'', ''V. albo-atrum'', ''V. longisporum'', ''V. nubilum'', ''V. theobromae'' and ''V. tricorpu ...

Potato virus X Potato virus X (PVX) is a plant pathogenic virus of the family ''Alphaflexiviridae'' and the order ''Tymovirales''. PVX is found mainly in potatoes and is only transmitted mechanically. There are no insect or fungal vectors for this virus. This v ...

, tobacco etch virus,

common scab Common scab is a plant disease of root and tuber crops caused by a small number of '' Streptomyces'' species, specifically '' S. scabies'', '' S. acidiscabies'', '' S. turgidiscabies'' and others. Common scab mainly affects potato ...

, and

late blight ''Phytophthora infestans'' is an oomycete or water mold, a fungus-like microorganism that causes the serious potato and tomato disease known as late blight or potato blight. Early blight, caused by ''Alternaria solani'', is also often called "pot ...

, and for its frost tolerance and ability to cold acclimate, in an effort to improve the domestic potato '' Solanum tuberosum''.

References

commersonii Flora of South Brazil Flora of Uruguay Flora of Northeast Argentina Plants described in 1814 {{potato-stub