Indigenous Four Corners Potato Makes a Comeback

A rediscovered tiny potato may hold secrets that could help science develop plants better suited to a changing climate.

By Avery Hurt
Nov 21, 2021 6:00 AM
Four Corners Potatoes Solanum jamesii
(Credit: AGryg/Wikimedia Commons)

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When you think about the diets of ancient Indigenous peoples of North America, you likely think squash, beans and corn — the famous three sisters. Potatoes probably don’t come to mind. But recent archaeological research has found that at least one potato was a part of North American diets thousands of years ago.

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