This species is accepted in various sources, including the Flora of China[], but Solanaceae Source[] are treating it is a synonym of Solanum insanum L.[]

Common Name:

General Information

Solanum undatum is a spreading or ascending, somewhat branched, hairy herb with stems that can become more or less woody; it can grow 30 - 60cm tall. The stems, petioles and leaves are armed with scattered, sharp, rather stout spines, which are 3 - 6mm long[, ].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and 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

Asia - Afghanistan, through northern India to China and southeast Asia.

Habitat

Open, waste places[]. Thickets and slopes at elevations from 200 - 1,100 metres in southern China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The unripe fruit is cooked and eaten as a vegetable[]. The fruit of this species is rounded, smooth, about 2.5 centimeters in diameter, and green mottled with white, or yellow[].

Medicinal

The leaves used in poultices are said to be mitigating and resolvent[].

The seeds are employed as a sedative, and are sometimes used to cure toothache[].

Other Uses

An extract of the fruit is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin protector[].

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
Division

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