African nightshade

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Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) berries Solanum nigrum fruit black.jpg
Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) berries

African nightshades are several species of plants in the section Solanum of the genus Solanum , that are commonly consumed as leafy vegetables and herbs. [1] African nightshades are grown in both high and lowland areas in West and East Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Cameroon.The Nso people call it Nyuuseji, and the Kom people call it Mbasi. There is a large variation in diversity of the African nightshades, which have many nutritional and medicinal benefits, [2] even though the family of nightshade is commonly known as comprising dangerous weeds or poisonous plants. Species known as African nightshade include Solanum scabrum , Solanum villosum , Solanum nigrum , and Solanum americanum . [3] Other common names for African nightshade are Black nightshade and Narrow-leaved nightshade. [4] Local names of African nightshade include managu (Kikuyu), mnavu (Swahili), rinagu (Kisii), tsisutsa (Luhya), osuga (Luo), isoiyot (Kipsigis), kitulu (Kamba), ormomoi (Maa), ndunda (Taita), nsugga (Luganda), sochot (Keiyo), and esisogho (Lukhonzo). [4]

Contents

Description

African nightshade is an erect dicot with many branches, growing 0.5 to 1.0 m (1 ft 8 in to 3 ft 3 in) high. [4] The plant has thin, oval leaves which are about 15 cm (6 in) in length and purplish in colour. [4] The plant has numerous flowers that are black or purple and round berries, which are about 0.75 cm (0.30 in) in diameter, having small, flat, yellowish seeds. [4] The berries of this plant can be black or orange, depending on the species. [4] There are many diversities in African nightshades related to growth patterns, leaf sizes, tastes (bitterness) flowering time, colour, as well as nutritional and nutraceutical value, along with quantities and composition of anti-nutrient factors. [2]

History, geography, ethnography

The origin of the majority of Solanum species is within South America. [2] The most popular African representatives of Solanum can also be found in areas of Europe and Asia, but the most valued nightshade species vegetable, said to be S. scabrum , is native to Australia. [2] African nightshade is largely domesticated in Nigeria, but also popular in Kenya. [2] African nightshade has historically been known as "food for the poor" by the middle class of areas like Kenya. [2] Traditionally, African nightshade was collected from the wild and given as a souvenir by family and friends, who were traveling from rural areas to town dwellers. [2] Due to promotion by NGOs and research and other interest groups, this trend has changed based on awareness of nutritional and medicinal benefits. African nightshade has become a domesticated and commercialized production from commercial and substance farming. [2]

Growing conditions

African nightshade is propagated from seeds. [4] It performs well in a varying degree of climatic conditions, but grows best within cool, high-moisture environments in both medium and high altitudes. [2] Shady conditions cause a reduction in total plant weight, as well as leaf yield. Though African nightshade can tolerate shade, growth is better when the plant is exposed to full sunlight. [2] For adequate growth of African nightshades, and annual rainfall of approximately 500–1,200 mm (20–47 in) is necessary. [2] African nightshades grow in a variety of soils but require large amounts of nutrients and are best adjusted to soils with high nitrogen, phosphorus and are rich in organic matter. [2] Nitrogen fertilizer increases leaf yields 1.5–2.5 fold. [2] Sandy loam to friable clay soils with a pH of 6.0–6.5 are appropriate. [2]

Though African nightshades are not drought tolerant, procedures can be done to help retain moisture such as mulching with tall grass. [4] Selected breeding can be useful as a method for diversity development, with excellent potential, so long as the variety is preserved and utilized. [2] African nightshade is ready for harvest four weeks past transplanting. [4] Picking is done in weekly intervals and the African nightshade can be sun-dried on banana leaves post-harvest as a means of preservation. [4] Comparing African nightshade to other high-value and high-yielding horticultural crops, it produces low leaf yields and is considered uneconomical, however it is in high demand in some areas for its health, nutritional, and medicinal benefits. [1]

Pests and diseases

Pests and diseases of African nightshade are similar to those of family Solanaceae and include aphids, spider mites, and early blight. [4] Aphids feed by sucking plant sap, causing the leaves to curl, which is unattractive to customers, as well as a chance of drying out or death of the plant. [4] Regular monitoring and spot spraying with biopesticides, when necessary, can help reduce infestations. [4] The feeding of spider mites may cause a decrease in plant growth, flowering, and number of berries and seeds. [4] Avoiding particular pyrethroids may help reduce the occurrence of spider mite outbreaks. [4] Overhead irrigation or strong jet wash plants can knock off spider mites and destroy their webs. [4]

Nutritional information

The leaves of African nightshade consist of 87.2 g water, 1.0 mg iron, 4.3 g protein, 38 kcalories, 5.7 g carbohydrates, 1.4 g fibre, 442 mg calcium, 20 mg ascorbic acid, 3660 μg β-Carotene, 75 mg phosphorus, and 0.59 mg riboflavin per 100 g fresh weight. The leaves also contain high levels of vitamin A, B, and C, and phenolics and alkaloids, including cocaine, quinine, nicotine, and morphine. [1] Solanum species like S. macrocarpon, S. scabrum and S. villosum are found in many Kenyan vegetable gardens. [2] A diet incorporating African nightshade is recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers, as it is good for people with iron deficiencies, and malaria patients. [2]

Uses

The leaves of African nightshade are eaten as a cooked vegetable, sometimes mixed with other vegetables. [4] Some varieties have a bitter taste and others have a 'sweet' taste which is generally after they have been boiled and the water has been thrown away. The fresh fruit is also eaten. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Solanum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Solanum is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant. It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanaceae, comprising around 1,500 species. It also contains the so-called horse nettles, as well as numerous plants cultivated for their ornamental flowers and fruit.

<i>Solanum dulcamara</i> Species of plant

Solanum dulcamara is a species of vine in the genus Solanum of the family Solanaceae. Common names include bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, Amara Dulcis, climbing nightshade, felonwort, fellenwort, felonwood, poisonberry, poisonflower, scarlet berry, snakeberry, trailing bittersweet, trailing nightshade, violet bloom, and woody nightshade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solanine</span> Glycoalkaloid poison found in the nightshade family of plants

Solanine is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family within the genus Solanum, such as the potato, the tomato, and the eggplant. It can occur naturally in any part of the plant, including the leaves, fruit, and tubers. Solanine has pesticidal properties, and it is one of the plant's natural defenses. Solanine was first isolated in 1820 from the berries of the European black nightshade, after which it was named. It belongs to the chemical family of saponins.

<i>Solanum mauritianum</i> Species of tree

Solanum mauritianum is a small tree or shrub native to South America, including Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Its common names include earleaf nightshade, woolly nightshade, flannel weed, bugweed, tobacco weed, tobacco bush, wild tobacco and kerosene plant.

<i>Solanum americanum</i> Species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae

Solanum americanum, commonly known as American black nightshade, small-flowered nightshade or glossy nightshade, is a herbaceous flowering plant of wide though uncertain native range. The certain native range encompasses the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, Melanesia, New Guinea, and Australia.

<i>Solanum nigrum</i> Species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae

Solanum nigrum, the European black nightshade or simply black nightshade or blackberry nightshade, is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Eurasia and introduced in the Americas, Australasia, and South Africa. Ripe berries and cooked leaves of edible strains are used as food in some locales, and plant parts are used as a traditional medicine. Some other species may also be referred to as "black nightshade".

<i>Solanum mammosum</i> Species of plant

Solanum mammosum, commonly known as nipplefruit, fox head, cow's udder, or apple of Sodom, is an inedible Pan-American tropical fruit. The plant is grown for ornamental purposes, in part because of the distal end of the fruit's resemblance to a human breast, while the proximal end looks like a cow's udder. It is an annual in the family Solanaceae, and part of the genus Solanum, making the plant a relative of the eggplant, tomato, and potato. This poisonous fruit is native to South America, but has been naturalized in Southern Mexico, Greater Antilles, Central America, and the Caribbean. The plant adapts well to most soils, but thrives in moist, loamy soil.

<i>Moringa oleifera</i> Species of flowering tree

Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and used extensively in South and Southeast Asia. Common names include moringa, drumstick tree, horseradish tree, or malunggay.

<i>Solanum elaeagnifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum elaeagnifolium, the silverleaf nightshade or silver-leaved nightshade, is a species of plant in the nightshade family native to North and South America. It is common in parts of southwestern USA, and sometimes weed of western North America. Other common names include prairie berry, silverleaf nettle, white horsenettle or silver nightshade. In South Africa it is known as silver-leaf bitter-apple or satansbos. More ambiguous names include "bull-nettle", "horsenettle" and the Spanish "trompillo".

<i>Corchorus olitorius</i> Species of flowering plant

Jute mallow or Nalita jute is a species of shrub in the family Malvaceae. Together with C. capsularis it is the primary source of jute fiber. The leaves and young fruits are used as a vegetable, the dried leaves are used for tea and as a soup thickener, and the seeds are edible.

<i>Solanum retroflexum</i> Species of shrub

Solanum retroflexum, commonly known as umsobo (isiZulu), wonderberry or sunberry, is a historic heirloom fruiting shrub. Both common names are also used for the European black nightshade in some places, particularly where the latter species has been introduced, so care must be taken to distinguish them. It is sometimes called garden huckleberry, but that properly refers to the species S. scabrum described by Philip Miller.

<i>Cleome gynandra</i> Species of flowering plant

Cleome gynandra is a species of Cleome that is used as a green vegetable. It is known by many common names including Shona cabbage, African cabbage, spiderwisp, cat's whiskers, and stinkweed. It is an annual wildflower native to Africa but has become widespread in many tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world.

<i>Solanum erianthum</i> Species of plant

Solanum erianthum is a species of nightshade that is native to southern North America and northern South America. It has been introduced to other parts of the world and has a nearly pantropical distribution. Common names include mullein nightshade, velvet nightshade, and salvadora. The potatoes are not the fruits of the trees, they are the leaves.

<i>Passiflora arborea</i> Species of vine

Passiflora arborea is a species of passion flower found in Colombia, Ecuador and Panama. Passiflora arborea is a freestanding tree that can grow to be 50 feet tall. They germinate anywhere from an elevation of 1400 – 2000 ft. The tree's leaves grow to be 1 to 1½ feet long. It is native to Colombia, is rarely seen in cultivation, and is one of two species of Passiflora that is not widely distributed throughout the country.

<i>Solanum caripense</i> Species of plant

Solanum caripense is a species of evergreen shrub native to South America and grown for its edible fruit.

<i>Solanum diphyllum</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum diphyllum, commonly known as the twoleaf nightshade, is a species of nightshade native to the Americas. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its clusters of dark green round fruits that turn a bright yellow when ripe.

<i>Solanum scabrum</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum scabrum, also known as garden huckleberry, is an annual or perennial plant in the nightshade family. The geographic origin of the species is uncertain; Linnaeus attributed it to Africa, but it also occurs in North America, and it is naturalized in many countries. In Africa it is cultivated as a leaf vegetable and for dye from the berries.

<i>Solanum villosum</i> Species of plant

Solanum villosum, the hairy nightshade, red nightshade or woolly nightshade, is a sprawling annual weed in Europe, western Asia, northern Africa and is also naturalized in Australia and North America.

<i>Solanum laxum</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum laxum, commonly known as potato vine, potato climber or jasmine nightshade, is an evergreen vine in the family Solanaceae. It is native to South America and commonly grown as an ornamental garden plant.

<i>Solanum laciniatum</i> Species of plant

Solanum laciniatum a soft-wooded shrub native to the east coast of Australia, notably Victoria and Tasmania. It also occurs in Western Australia and New Zealand, where some authorities consider it to be introduced. It is similar to Solanum aviculare, with which it shares the common name kangaroo apple. The common name refers to the likeness of the leaf shape to a kangaroo paw print. This plant is currently being cultivated to produce corticosteroid drugs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gaya, A. S.; Masinde, P. W.; Murakami, K.; Ojiewo, C. O. (2007). "Mutation breeding of African Nightshade (Solanum section Solanum)" (PDF). Global Science Books. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 10, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Abukusta-Onyango, M. O.; Agong, S. G.; Mwai, G. N.; Nono-Womdim, R.; Ojiewo, C. O. (2013). "Exploiting the Genetic Diversity of Vegetable African Nightshades". Global Science Books. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ Drescher, A. W.; Pasquini, M. W.; Shackleton, C. M. (2009). "African Indigenous Vegetables in Urban Agriculture". Earthscan. ISBN   9781136574986 . Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Biovision. "African Nightshade". infonet-biovision. Archived from the original on August 16, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
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