Solanum peruvianum
L.
Solanaceae
Lycopersicon commutatum (Spreng.) Roem. & Schult.
Lycopersicon dentatum Dunal
Lycopersicon peruvianum (L.) Mill.
Lycopersicon regulare Dunal
Solanum commutatum Spreng.
Common Name:
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 |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.50 m |
| Pollinators | Insects, Self |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
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.
].
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
