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Useful Tropical Plants

Solanum caripense

Dunal

Solanaceae


Closely related to, and hybridizes with, Solanum muricatum[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].

+ Synonyms

Solanum chiliadenium Bitter

Solanum grossularia subunijugum Bitter

Common Name: Pepino Iloron

Solanum caripense
Solanum caripense Solanum caripense

General Information

Solanum caripense is a climbing or sprawling plant up to 2 metres or more tall[
434
Title
Flora of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Macbride. J.F.
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
]. The plant is used in breeding programmes to improve the pepino (Solanum muricatum).

Known Hazards

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

434
Title
Flora of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Macbride. J.F.
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet.

Range

S. America - Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela; C. America - Costa Rica.

Habitat

In and on the edge of thickets, on wooded slopes and along streams, about the base of cliffs or sometimes on open slopes, at elevations of 800 - 3,800 metres[
434
Title
Flora of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Macbride. J.F.
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *  *
Medicinal Rating *
HabitPerennial
Height1.50 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Solanum caripense is found in a region of Ecuador that has an average annual temperature of 14.5°c, an average rainfall of 488mm per year and a relative humidity of 70%

Edible Uses

Fruit[
1438
Title
Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
Publication
 
Author
Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
Publisher
 
Year
2014
ISBN
 
Description
A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
]. The fruit, which is hardly larger than a cherry, is eagerly eaten by local people[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. It has a sweetish flavour, which makes it palatable despite having little flesh and numerous seeds[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. A juicy fruit that is thirst-quenching[
1783
Title
Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador
Publication
 
Author
de la Torre, L., Navarrete H., P. Muriel M., Macía M.J. & Ba
Publisher
Herbario QCA de la Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas de la Pontific
Year
2008
ISBN
978-9978-77-135-8
Description
 
]. The yellow-green, globose fruit has violet-colorued longitudinal stripes; it is up to 40mm in diameter[
434
Title
Flora of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Macbride. J.F.
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet.
].

Medicinal

The tuber is halucinogenic[
1783
Title
Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador
Publication
 
Author
de la Torre, L., Navarrete H., P. Muriel M., Macía M.J. & Ba
Publisher
Herbario QCA de la Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas de la Pontific
Year
2008
ISBN
978-9978-77-135-8
Description
 
].

Other Uses

The plant is used in breeding programmes to improve the pepino (Solanum muricatum).

Propagation

Seed - sow in trays in a nursery. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on fast. Plant them out when 10cm or more tall.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood. Very easy, the cuttings root within a couple of weeks.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-12. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Solanum+caripense>

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