Potato-Vine

This watercolor illustration of the potato vine, is included in the 1799 work, A Collection of Exotics, from the Island of Antigua, by the botanical artist Lydia Byam (1772-unknown). The Byams were a powerful, slave-owning family who operated sugar plantations on the island. While little biographical information has been identified on Byam, letter bound in one of her rare editions has identified her as the older sister of William Gunthorpe, governor of Antigua. Byam’s social status and connections gave her a unique opportunity to produce her work in Antigua and distribute it in Britain, thereby helping satisfy increased interest in the plants growing in the expanding British Empire.

The specimen shown here, potato vine, or Solanum crispum, is native to Chile and Peru. The curvature of the stem in Byam’s illustration depicts the plant’s ability to climb surrounding structures. The species name crispum translates to “closely curled.” Byam illustrates the plant’s woody stem, small, trumpet shaped flowers, and large, leathery seed pod.