Triploids are comparatively difficult to produce in tuberous Solanums as is the case in many other genera. Amongst the wild species triploids are infrequent whereas in the cultivars the opposite is true. It is argued that their survival and increase under cultivation means that they possess certain selective advantages as cultivars, advantages often concomitant with triploidy per se. Triploids make superior cultivars in a number of crops: by analogy therefore, it is suggested that the relative merits of triploid cultivated potatoes warrants investigation.