Common Name:

General Information

Solanum morellifolium is a perennial plant with stems that can become more or less woody and persist; it can grow 50 - 100cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

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

Range

S. America - Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, northern Brazil

Habitat

Forests or forest clearings of eastern Andean slopes and adjacent lowlands; at elevations around 100 - 1,300 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	0.75 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. The fruit is a green or red, globose berry, 7 - 12mm long, 6 - 12 mm wide[].

Medicinal

None known

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.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood. Very easy, the cuttings root within a couple of weeks.

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