Potatoes - Pentland Lustre
Scotland, 1968; early cropper, released by Scottish Plant Breeding Station (SCBS).... attractive appearance; I thought all the Pentland potatoes were cream or yellow skinned, but evidently not ... good vigorous growth. I didn't see any flowers.
This was the twelfth 'Pentland' variety, following on from the better known Pentland Crown (1958), Pentland Dell (1960) Pentland Hawk (1966), Pentland Ivory (1966) and Pentland Javelin (1967).
Alan Wilson, in his book "The Story of the Potato" describes Pentland Lustre as a partly-coloured potato launched with the intention of being the earliest part-red variety on the market, trading on its similar appearance to King Edward. However the financial premium didn't make up for its relatively low yield, and it failed to establish itself as a commercial variety. It is now relatively uncommon and appears in collections (and enthusiasts' gardens) only. However it has a beautiful appearance, as you can see from the picture.
Pictures (click on small images for detail):
Flowers
Tubers
Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
