The name'“Solanum indicum L.' has long been applied to both the African species Solanum anguivi Lam.,and to the Asian species Solanum violaceum Ortega, as well as to various other superficially similar prickly taxa. Due to this historic confusion and the widespread misapplication of the name, the epithet “indicum” has been rejected. It is treated here as a synonym of Solanum violaceum; extensive evidence has demonstrated that Solanum anguivi is not directly related to the Asian Solanum violaceum.

Common Name:

General Information

Solanum violaceum is a much-branched shrub that can grow 50 - 150cm tall, occasionally to 200cm. The stems and branches have pale yellow, recurved prickles 4 - 10mm long and 1.5 - 7mm wide[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use. It is cultivated in the Philippines[].

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

E Asia - China, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Forests, dry thickets, wastelands, roadsides; at elevations from 100 - 2,700 metres in southern China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant flowers and produces fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - cooked[]. (As Solanum kurzii)

Medicinal

The fruits are diuretic and expectorant[]. They are an effective treatment against diabetes, and even seem to be capable of curing it[]. They are also used for relieving cough and alleviating toothache[].
Applied externally, they are used for treating skin diseases[].

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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Captcha: if i have 3 bananas, and i eat them all, how many bananas did i just eat?