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Useful Tropical Plants

Solanum peruvianum

L.

Solanaceae

+ Synonyms

Lycopersicon commutatum (Spreng.) Roem. & Schult.

Lycopersicon dentatum Dunal

Lycopersicon peruvianum (L.) Mill.

Lycopersicon regulare Dunal

Solanum commutatum Spreng.

Common Name:

Solanum peruvianum
Illustration of the leaves, flowers and fruit
Photograph by: Flora depicta aut plantarum selectarum icones ad naturan delineatae ab Andr. Frid. Happe, botanico et rer. natur. pictore, 1791
Public Domain

General Information

Solanum peruvianum is a spreading to erect herbaceous perennial to small shrub that becomes woody at the base[
435
Title
Solanaceae Source
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://solanaceaesource.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae.
]. It grows up to 50cm tall[
435
Title
Solanaceae Source
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://solanaceaesource.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae.
].
The edible fruit is gathered from the wild and consumed locally.

Known Hazards

All green parts of the plant are poisonous[
76
Title
Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man.
Publication
 
Author
Cooper. M. and Johnson. A.
Publisher
HMSO
Year
1984
ISBN
0112425291
Description
Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock.
].
Although providing many well-known foods for people, including the potato, tomato, pepper and aubergine, most species in this genus also contain toxic alkaloids. Whilst these alkaloids can make the plant useful in treaing a range of medical conditions, they can also cause problems such as nausea, vomiting, salivation, drowsiness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weakness and respiratory depression[
293
Title
Poisonous Plants of North Carolina
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes.
].
Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
435
Title
Solanaceae Source
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://solanaceaesource.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae.

Range

Western S. America - northern Chile to central Peru.

Habitat

Western slopes of the Andes; at elevations below 2,900 metres[
124
Title
The Garden. Volume 113.
Publication
 
Author
RHS.
Publisher
Royal Horticultural Society
Year
1988
ISBN
-
Description
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including details on Podophyllum, Canna and Protea species.
]. In lomas formations and occasionally in coastal deserts, occasionally occurring as a weed at field edges in coastal river valleys, at elevations from sea level up to 600 metres[
435
Title
Solanaceae Source
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://solanaceaesource.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height0.50 m
PollinatorsInsects, Self
Self-fertileYes
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Solanum peruvianum is native to subtropical and tropical zones of the Andes of northern Chile and central Peru, growing at elevations up to 2,900 metres. Plants are not frost-hardy, but can be grown as an annual in warmer regions of the temperate zone.
Requires a rich well-drained soil in a sunny position.
The plant can flower and fruit all year round[
435
Title
Solanaceae Source
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://solanaceaesource.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae.
].
This species does not hybridize with Solanum lycopersicon[
114
Title
The Plant Wealth of Iraq.
Publication
 
Author
Chakravarty. H. L.
Publisher
 
Year
 
ISBN
 
Description
It is surprising how many of these plants can be grown in Britain. A very readable book on the useful plants of Iraq.
].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[
105
Title
Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
Publisher
Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
Year
1976
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
]. The fruit is green and hairy but has a sweet tomato-like flavour[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
]. The fruit is about 7mm in diameter[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. The fruit is 10 - 15mm in diameter[
435
Title
Solanaceae Source
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://solanaceaesource.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ
The seedcoat may carry tomato mosaic virus. However, by sowing the seed 15mm deep the seedcoat will remain below the soil surface when the seed germinates and the disease will be inactivated[
124
Title
The Garden. Volume 113.
Publication
 
Author
RHS.
Publisher
Royal Horticultural Society
Year
1988
ISBN
-
Description
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including details on Podophyllum, Canna and Protea species.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Solanum%20peruvianum>

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