Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

"This year I grew 'Urenaka' (Yen refers to 'Urenika') from John Palmer and I understand this cultivar came from the East Coast, North Island. It is certainly an unusual potato with purplish stems and tubers. The tubers are also purplish when cooked (my wife calls it gentian violet), but pleasant to eat. Yen illustrates examples of 'Urenika' tubers and notes they resemble the storied (iodine) potato of Ireland, used as a talisman against illness. The plants I grew had a bright leaf mottle (prbably caused by viruses X and Y), but they grew quite well although their yeild was deplorable (1030 gms from 2 plants). John Marshall and Bob Flint recently showed me the Maori potato collection at CRD and the 'Urenika' tuber shape is common, but quite unlike modern cultivars.

The Maori potato grown by Audrey Eagle (BD Newsletter no 84: 8, 1983) was similar to 'Urenika' and comes from Kapiti Island. Audrey said that when she gave some tubers to a Maori lady she excalimed " ah, rokekuri". Kuri is of course dog and this name reflects the Maori ability to invole a vivid name appropriate for this cultivar. A cultivar with a similar name, 'Hamutikuri' is illustrated in Yen's paper. One important point about Maori potatoes is that they have withstood the ravages of diseases over the years. I have tested 'Rokekuri' and found virus Y but not virus X and this is surprising - perhaps the cultivar is resistant. Yen does suggest that these old cultivars may contain useful genetic material."