Common Name:

General Information

Solanum obliquum is a shrub or a small tree growing around 1 - 10 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine.

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 - Peru, northern Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela

Habitat

Clearings and open places in tropical rain forest, at elevations from 100 - 1,000 metres, occasionally to 1,850 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	5.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants can flower and produce fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[, ]. A tomato-like flavour. There are conflicting reports on edibility, some reports say that they are eaten, some say that they are poisonous[]. The yellow to orange, globose or ellipsoidal fruit varies from 25 - 70mm x 15 - 35mm[].

Medicinal

The leaf is rasped in cold water, lemon juice is added, and the infusion is taken in the morning before breakfast for three days in order to treat conditions such as kidney ailments, lower back pains etc. The juice of the leaves and stems is used as an analgesic and sedative to treat intestinal fever, headaches, rheumatism, kidney ailments, hangovers, muscle aches, and pains of the lower back and stomach[]. An infusion of the crushed leaves is taken as a treatment for malaria[].
An infusion of the leaves is given in an enema to combat the grippe[]. A poultice of the leaves is used to massage the skin around a snake bite[]. The leaves are heated in water and used to bathe babies, both to keep them healthy and to cure fever[].

A cold infusion of the bark is used to massage swollen body parts[].

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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