Herb: Rucki


Latin name: Solanum juzepczukii


Family: Solanaceae (Nightshade Family, Potato Family)



Edible parts of Rucki:

Root - cooked. Rich in starch but with a bitter taste. This bitterness can be removed by freeze-drying the tubers to make a food called "chuäo".

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial

Habitat of the herb:

Not known in the wild.

Propagation of Rucki:

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into a fairly rich compost as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on fast. Plant them out after the last expected frosts. Division. Harvest the tubers in autumn after the top-growth has been cut back by frost. Store the tubers in a cool frost-free place overwinter and replant in April.

Cultivation of the herb:

Not known in the wild.

Medicinal use of Rucki:

None known

Known hazards of Solanum juzepczukii:

Although no specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where many if not all the members have poisonous leaves and sometimes also the unripe fruits.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.