Potato Painting
by Else Bostelmann

The potato plant grows wild in the mountains and valleys of western and southern South America. Native Americans first domesticated the plant some 8,000 years ago in Peru and Chile.

Potatoes grow underground from what is known as a "seed" or small potato. Plants produce colorful white, pink or purple flowers and sometimes, little green seed balls, similar to tomatoes, the potato's first cousin. Within 90 to 120 days the potatoes are ready for harvesting. There are some 10,000 varieties of potatoes world-wide.

This painting, by Else Bostelmann, was published in Wendell H. Camp's The World in Your Garden, published by National Geographic Society, 1957.