2012

Prin

ted

and

publ

ishe

d by

D

epar

tmen

t of A

gric

ultu

re, F

ores

try a

nd F

ishe

ries

Obt

aina

ble

from

R

esou

rce

Cen

tre

Dire

ctor

ate

Com

mun

icat

ion

Ser

vice

s

Priv

ate

Bag

X14

4

PR

ETO

RIA

00

01

Fur

ther

info

rmat

ion

can

be o

btai

ned

from

Dire

ctor

ate

Pla

nt P

rodu

ctio

nP

rivat

e B

ag X

250

PR

ET

OR

IA 0

001

Tel

12

319

607

2F

ax

12 3

19 6

079

Em

ail

DP

P@

daff.

gov.

za

AAfr

ica

n

fr

ica

n

po

ta

to

po

ta

to

Afr

ica

n p

ota

to is

tra

diti

on

ally

use

d a

s a

to

nic

fo

r fa

tigu

e re

cupe

ratio

n af

ter

a de

bilit

atin

g ill

ness

and

to e

nhan

ce y

our

moo

d. T

he s

tem

s an

d le

aves

are

mix

ed w

ith o

ther

ingr

edi-

ents

to

trea

t pr

osta

te p

robl

ems.

Sot

ho p

eopl

e us

e A

fric

an

pota

to a

s a

char

m a

gain

st li

ghtn

ing

and

stor

ms.

The

leav

es

are

used

to

mak

e a

rope

. T

he t

uber

s an

d le

aves

are

use

d as

a d

ye th

at g

ives

a b

lack

col

our,

whi

ch is

use

d to

bla

cken

flo

ors.

Ack

now

ledg

emen

tM

em

be

rs o

f A

gri

-Afr

ica

/Ka

rwil

Co

nsu

ltan

cy a

re a

ckn

ow

l-ed

ged

for

the

info

rmat

ion

prov

ided

.

The

con

trib

utio

n of

the

Nat

iona

l Lib

rary

of

Sou

th A

fric

a is

gr

atef

ully

ack

now

ledg

ed.

Ref

eren

ces

McM

ast

er,

C.,

20

01

. A

fric

an

po

tato

—a

dis

ap

pe

ari

ng

tra

diti

on

al

rem

edy:

wild

flow

er c

onse

rvat

ion.

Far

mer

’s w

eekl

y, 1

93: 2

6.

Van

Wyk

, B-E

, Van

Oud

tsho

orn,

B. &

Ger

icke

, N. 1

997.

Med

icin

al

plan

ts o

f Sou

th A

fric

a, P

reto

ria: B

riza

Pub

licat

ions

.

http

/://w

ww

.pla

ntza

fric

a.co

m

http

://cu

rric

ulum

.wca

pe.s

choo

l.za

agric

ultu

re,

fore

stry

& fi

sher

ies

Dep

artm

ent:

Agric

ultu

re, F

ores

try a

nd F

ishe

ries

REPU

BLIC

OF

SOUT

H AF

RICA

Bac

kgro

und

Afr

ican

pot

ato

is a

per

enni

al g

eoph

ytes

her

b th

at b

elon

gs

to th

e fa

mily

Hyp

oxid

acea

e an

d is

one

of t

he la

rger

spe

cies

in

the

gen

us H

ypox

is.

It is

a v

ery

attr

activ

e, h

ardy

gar

den

pla

nt

an

d o

rig

ina

tes

fro

m S

ou

the

rn A

fric

a.

It is

fo

un

d in

o

pe

n g

rass

lan

d a

nd

wo

od

lan

d.

Th

e p

lan

t is

co

mm

on

in

the

Eas

tern

Cap

e, K

waZ

ulu-

Nat

al, M

pum

alan

ga, L

impo

po,

Gau

teng

, Nor

th-W

est a

nd F

ree

Sta

te p

rovi

nces

, as

wel

l as

in S

waz

iland

and

Les

otho

.

Clim

ate

and

soil

requ

irem

ents

The

pla

nt p

refe

rs fu

ll su

nlig

ht. O

nly

a fe

w s

peci

es g

row

on

cliff

fac

es o

r in

the

for

ests

. It

gro

ws

wel

l in

war

m a

nd c

old

subt

ropi

cal a

reas

. Afr

ican

pot

ato

is p

lant

ed in

diff

eren

t soi

l ty

pes,

alth

ough

wel

l-dra

ined

soi

l is

need

ed.

Cul

tura

l pra

ctic

e

Soi

l pre

para

tion

Soi

l pre

para

tion

is a

dapt

ed to

the

met

hod

of h

arve

stin

g, ir

ri-ga

tion

prac

tices

and

the

cont

our o

f the

land

. The

fiel

d sh

ould

be

plo

ughe

d in

to lo

ng r

ows

of m

ound

s.

Pro

paga

tion

Pro

paga

tion

of th

e pl

ants

is d

one

from

see

d, ti

ssue

cul

ture

s an

d bu

lbs.

See

ds s

houl

d be

col

lect

ed ju

st b

efor

e th

e ca

p-su

les

open

. The

y ca

n be

trea

ted

with

fung

icid

e an

d bo

iling

w

ate

r b

efo

re p

lan

ting

into

co

mp

ost

-ric

h s

oil.

Ge

rmin

atio

n ca

n ta

ke u

p to

a y

ear.

See

dlin

gs s

houl

d be

left

for

a y

ear

befo

re tr

ansp

lant

ing.

Cor

m d

ivis

ion

is a

mor

e ra

pid

and

suc-

cess

ful m

etho

d of

pro

paga

ting

the

plan

ts. F

or b

est r

esul

ts,

see

ds

sho

uld

be

ke

pt

cold

fo

r si

x to

eig

ht

we

eks

(m

ixe

d

Sci

entif

ic n

ame:

H

ypox

is h

emm

eroc

allid

ea

Com

mon

nam

es:

Yel

low

sta

r, S

tar

lily,

Afr

ican

pot

ato

(En

glis

h);

Ste

rre

tjie

, A

frik

a-p

ata

t (A

frik

aa

ns)

; In

kom

fe,

Ilab

ath

eka

(is

iZul

u); I

nong

we

(isiX

hosa

); M

oli

khar

atsa

, Lot

sane

(S

esot

ho)

with

ver

mic

ulite

in t

he r

efri

gera

tor)

bef

ore

sow

ing

in w

ell-

prep

ared

see

d bo

xes.

Pla

ntin

g

Se

ed

s sh

ou

ld b

e s

ow

n i

n e

arl

y sp

rin

g a

nd

sh

ou

ld b

e p

lan

ted

1m

m d

ee

p a

nd

co

vere

d w

ith f

ine

gra

ss c

om

po

st.

One

-yea

r-ol

d co

rms

need

less

spa

ce to

be

plan

ted

(10

cm

apar

t in

row

s an

d 20

cm

bet

wee

n th

e ro

ws)

. If t

he in

tent

ion

is t

o le

ave

it to

gro

w f

or m

ore

than

thr

ee y

ears

, th

e sp

ac-

ing

sh

ou

ld b

e in

cre

ase

d (

20

cm

ap

art

in r

ow

s w

ith 5

0 c

m

betw

een

row

s) to

acc

omm

odat

e th

e la

rge

size

.

Fer

tilis

atio

n

No

chem

ical

add

itive

s, c

hem

ical

fer

tilis

ers

or in

sect

icid

es

are

used

in th

e cu

ltiva

tion

of A

fric

an p

otat

o.

Irrig

atio

n

The

soi

l sho

uld

be k

ept

moi

st,

but

not

wet

with

goo

d ve

n-til

atio

n a

nd

low

hu

mid

ity.

Th

e p

lan

ts s

ho

uld

be

irri

ga

ted

wee

kly–

25 m

m ir

rigat

ion

per

wee

k fo

r th

e fir

st th

ree

mon

ths

of p

lant

atio

n is

req

uire

d. In

coo

l clim

ates

the

plan

ts m

ust b

e ke

pt d

ry d

urin

g w

inte

r. A

fric

an p

otat

o is

ext

rem

ely

hard

y an

d dr

ough

t-re

sist

ant.

Pes

t con

trol

Afr

ica

n p

ota

to is

inh

ab

ited

with

te

rmite

s a

nd

oth

er

pe

sts

such

as

Am

eri

can

bo

llwo

rm,

spo

tte

d m

aiz

e b

ee

tle,

stin

k

bu

g a

nd

gra

ssh

op

pe

r. P

orc

up

ine

s d

ig u

p t

he

co

rms

an

d ce

ntip

edes

eat

the

oute

r co

verin

g. A

pplic

atio

n of

reg

iste

red

pest

icid

es is

rec

omm

ende

d fo

r m

ost o

f the

abo

vem

entio

ned

pest

s.

Dis

ease

con

trol

Th

e l

ea

ves

of

this

pla

nt

die

ba

ck i

n w

inte

r. R

eg

iste

red

chem

ical

con

trol

age

nts

can

be u

sed

whe

n th

e di

seas

e is

se

vere

. Goo

d sa

nita

ry p

ract

ices

are

the

best

way

to c

ontr

ol

dieb

ack

beca

use

the

fung

us li

ves

insi

de th

e pl

ant a

nd c

an-

not b

e co

mpl

etel

y co

ntro

lled

by fu

ngic

ide

spra

y.

Har

vest

ing

met

hod

Afr

ican

pot

ato

can

be h

arve

sted

in s

umm

er w

hen

the

plan

ts

are

activ

ely

grow

ing.

Har

vest

ing

take

s pl

ace

thro

ugho

ut th

e ye

ar

on

ce t

he

co

rms

ha

ve r

ea

che

d a

we

igh

t o

f 2

50

g.

A

hand

pick

met

hod

is u

sed

to h

arve

st th

e pl

ant.

Use

s A

fric

an p

otat

o is

use

d as

a m

edic

ine

that

can

pre

vent

rhe

u-m

atoi

d ar

thri

tis,

hear

t di

seas

e, c

ance

r, lu

ng a

ilmen

ts a

nd

even

Yup

pie

flu.

It is

an

imm

une

boos

ter

for

peop

le li

ving

w

ith H

IV/A

ids

and

can

also

be

used

to tr

eat d

izzi

ness

, hea

rt

we

akn

ess

, n

erv

ou

s d

iso

rde

r, b

lad

de

r d

iso

rde

rs,

insa

nity

, te

stic

ular

tum

ours

, pro

stat

e hy

pert

roph

y an

d ur

inar

y in

fec-

tions

. In

times

of f

amin

e th

e ro

otst

ocks

are

boi

led

or r

oast

ed

for

food

and

the

juic

e is

app

lied

to b

urns

. B

oile

d in

wat

er,