This is an enigma. Earliness was not supposed to exist in European varieties until after about 1870. Myatt's Ashleaf is supposed to date back to at least the 1840s. The recorded ashleaf characteristic is distinctive and it is a dominent characteristic in crosses. I suspect that this is old and related to the original "Ashleaf" variety but not quite as old as some would like to believe. There may even have been a series of "Ashleaf" varieties descended from the original, created whenever the stock was overwhelmed by virus. Some from self pollinated seeds and some produced from crosses with other then current varieties. If this is the same variety as described by Salaman in the 1920s it has very distinctive foliage, unusual lavender blue flowers and long, yellow, waxy tubers - high quality and often suitable for salad use.