Potato

The potato is a starchy tuber, a modified stem that develops underground, belonging to the nightshade family. Originating in the Andes, it boasts remarkable biological diversity, with thousands of cultivated varieties (landraces) developed by farmers over millennia, alongside over 100 wild relatives distributed across the Americas. This diversity manifests in tuber shape, size, color, and importantly, varying levels of resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses. However, this valuable genetic reservoir is under threat from habitat loss, climate change, and the replacement of diverse landraces with a few high-yielding commercial varieties. Conservation efforts are crucial and include maintaining gene banks with both cultivated and wild species, as well as supporting in-situ conservation by working with communities that continue to cultivate and safeguard this rich potato diversity for future food security.


Project: Commissioned for a collection of exemplar species pages during the launch phase of the Encyclopedia of Life (eol.org) whose goal is to provide information about every species on the planet.

This botanical illustration is available on a variety of products, from fine art prints to everyday essentials, including, cards, journals, mugs, pillows, t-shirts & hoodies, cutting boards & other home goods and tech accessories. Bringing plant art to your home and providing unique gifts for nature lovers, while helping to conserve species. Museum quality prints available framed or unframed in a range of sizes and styles.

🌎 %3 from all proceeds from my Shop go to support conservation groups actively protecting habitats around the world 🌎