It is now widely accepted that this species is the wild progenitor of the cultivated species Solanum macrocarpon. Opinions on whether to maintain them as distinct species differ, any distinctions between them are largely artificial, but they are maintained as distinct here for practical purposes.

Common Name:

General Information

Solanum dasyphyllum is an erect, perennial herb with stems that are often woody, growing 50 - 100cm tall. The plant is branched at the base, the branches heavily armed with prickles 2 - 7mm long[].
The edible fruits are sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as food and medicine. The plant is occasionally cultivated for its fruit[].

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[].
Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant[].

Botanical References

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Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Somalia, south to DR Congo and Tanzania.

Habitat

Usually a forest species, though it is also found on hillsides, savannah, grassland, or wasteland, frequently near water, normally at elevations from 600 - 1,600 metres, though sometimes descending to sea level[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.75 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Edible Uses

Fruit - cooked[]. Added to soups[]. A spicy flavour[]. The yellow fruits have a bitter flavour[]. The fruit is a globose berry 25 - 40mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The plant is used to counter poisoning by Strophanthus spp.[].

The fruit is sometimes used to treat tooth ailments. The mouth is washed with a decoction of the fruit for 3 - 4 days at daybreak and dusk[].

Other Uses

None known

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.

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