Chinese potato facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chinese potato
Scientific classification
Genus:	Coleus
Species:	rotundifolius
Synonyms
Calchas parviflorus (Benth.) P.V.Heath Coleus dysentericus Baker Coleus pallidiflorus A.Chev. Coleus parviflorus Benth. Coleus rehmannii Briq. Coleus rotundifolius var. nigra A.Chev. Coleus rugosus Benth. Coleus salagensis Gürke Coleus ternatus (Sims) A.Chev. Coleus tuberosus (Blume) Benth. Germanea rotundifolia Poir. Majana tuberosa (Blume) Kuntze Nepeta madagascariensis Lam. Plectranthus coppinii Heckel Plectranthus ternatus Sims Plectranthus rotundifolius (Poir.) Spreng. Plectranthus tuberosus Blume Solenostemon rotundifolius (Poir.) J.K.Morton

Pretty flowers of the native potato plant.

These are the edible tubers, like small potatoes!

Coleus rotundifolius is a plant known by many names, like native potato or country potato in Africa. In India, people often call it Chinese potato. It's a type of plant that lives for more than two years (a perennial herbaceous plant). It belongs to the mint family.

This plant originally comes from tropical Africa. People grow it for its tasty tubers, which are like small potatoes that grow underground. It's mostly grown in West Africa. More recently, it has also become popular in parts of Asia, especially in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia. C. rotundifolius is related to the colorful coleus plants you might see in gardens.

What are Native Potatoes Used For?

Eating the Tubers

The native potato grows egg-shaped tubers. These look a lot like regular potatoes, but they are usually smaller. People often boil them to eat. You can also roast, bake, or fry them. They have a mild flavor, a bit sweeter than some other similar plants.

Growing and Farming

Most farmers who grow native potatoes do so for their own families. This is called subsistence farming. It means they grow food mainly to feed themselves, not to sell a lot. In some places, like Burkina Faso, people even make flour from these potatoes.

C. rotundifolius is one of three Coleus plants from Africa grown for their edible tubers. The other two are C. esculentus and C. edulis. These other types are mostly found in Africa.

About 500 years ago, a plant called cassava was brought to Africa from South America. Cassava became very popular and took the place of native potatoes for many farmers.

Different Names for the Native Potato

This plant has many different names depending on where you are. In Africa, besides native potato and country potato, it's also called Hausa potato or Sudan potato.

Here are some of its names around the world:

• English: Chinese potato, country potato, Coleus potato, Hausa potato, native potato, Sudan potato, or Zulu potato.
• French: pomme de terre de Madagascar, du Soudan, or d'Afrique (meaning "potato of Madagascar, Sudan, or Africa"). It's also called coléus à tubercules (tuberous coleus).
• African Languages:
  • In Chad, it's called ngaboyo.
  • In Dioula and Minianka, it's fabirama or fabourama.
  • In Hausa, it's tumuku.
• South Asian Languages:
  • In Kannada, it's saṃbrāni.
  • In Malayalam, it's kūrkka.
  • In Sinhala, it's innala.
  • In Tamil, it's ciṟu kiḻaṅku.
• Southeast Asian Languages:
  • In Thai, it's man khee nuu.
  • In Malay, it's kembili or kemili.
  • In Javanese, it's kenthang ireng or kenthang kleci.

See also

In Spanish: Plectranthus rotundifolius para niños