Solanum erianthum

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Solanum erianthum
Solanum erianthum Blanco1.86-cropped.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Subgenus: Solanum subg. Brevantherum
Section: Solanum sect. Brevantherum
Species:
S. erianthum
Binomial name
Solanum erianthum

Solanum erianthum is a species of nightshade that is native to southern North America and northern South America. [2] It has been introduced to other parts of the world and has a nearly pantropical distribution. [3] Common names include mullein nightshade (that may also refer to S. donianum ), [4] velvet nightshade, [5] and salvadora. [6] The potatoes are not the fruits of the trees, they are the leaves.

Contents

Taxonomy

Solanum erianthum is placed in the subgenus Brevantherum , section Brevantherum of Solanum . [2]

Description

Flowers Solanum erianthum Don W2 IMG 1621.jpg
Flowers
Inflorescence terminal. The berries are orange-yellow when ripe. Shan Yan Cao Solanum erianthum 20220827224031 03.jpg
Inflorescence terminal. The berries are orange-yellow when ripe.

Potatotree is a fast-growing [6] evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 2–8 m (6.6–26.2 ft). The grey or brown bark is smooth-lenticellate and the trunk is 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) thick. The crown is flat-topped and spreading. Although the wood is soft and brittle, [8] the limbs are strong enough to support birds such as chachalacas. [6] The simple leaves are alternate, ovate or elliptic, and 12–37 cm (4.7–14.6 in) long. Flowers are in lateral cymes and are 1.1–1.8 cm (0.43–0.71 in) in diameter. The five-lobed corolla is white and the five stamens have yellow anthers. The fruit is a yellow berry 1–1.2 cm (0.39–0.47 in) in diameter with many seeds. [5] The specific epithet, erianthum, is derived from the Greek words ἔριον (erion), meaning "wooly", and ἄνθος (anthos), meaning "flower," referring to the dense trichomes (hairs) on the flowers. [9] Other parts of the plant are also covered in trichomes, including the berries, leaves, stem tips, [5] and petioles. Broken roots smell like cooked potatoes, while trichomes on the leaves, stems, and petioles release an odor similar to tar when rubbed. [9]

Range

Solanum erianthum is native to the southernmost parts of the contiguous United States (southern Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas), [10] the Bahamas, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America, [2] including the Galápagos Islands. [5] It is believed that Spanish explorers introduced Potato Tree to the Philippines in the 16th century, and from there it spread to Malesia, Australia, and the Asian mainland. It was probably introduced to West Africa from the Caribbean via the Atlantic slave trade. It is not found in most of South America. [11]

Habitat

Potatotree can be found at elevations from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) [3] in a variety of habitats, including riparian zones, dry forests, [12] and moist forests. It often grows in disturbed areas, [9] such as roadsides, fields, and waste places, and may be considered a weed. [11] Potato Tree is a ruderal species, quickly colonizing forest gaps caused by treefall, [9] as well as a pioneer species, able to grow on degraded mining sites prior to other vegetation. [11]

Uses

Like other species in its genus, S. erianthum has a number of ethnobotanical and pharmaceutical uses. This is due to the presence of steroidal saponins, free genins, and steroidal alkaloids of the spirosolane group, such as solasodine and tomatidine. Alkaloids account for around 0.4% of the mass of dry berries and leaves. Steroidal alkaloids found in the plant are used by the pharmaceutical industry as precursors for the manufacture of synthetic steroids. [11]

Traditional medicine

Potatotree finds many uses as an herbal medicine in Tropical Asia. The leaves are believed to be effective with ridding the body of impurities through the urine and are used for leukorrhea for that reason. The leaves are also used to induce abortion, while a poultice made from crushed leaves is used for hemorrhoids and scrofula. Heated leaves are applied to the forehead as an analgesic for headaches and a leaf decoction is used for vertigo. A root decoction is used to treat dysentery, fever, diarrhea, digestive problems, and violent body pains. The root bark is used as an anti-inflammatory and to treat arthritis. In West Africa, a decoction made from the leaves is used to treat leprosy, sexually-transmitted diseases, and malaria due to its laxative and diuretic effects. [11]

Non-medicinal

The leaves are used in the Philippines to clean grease from dishes. The berries are toxic to humans, causing headache, cramps, and nausea, but are cooked and eaten in Southeast Asia and made into curry in southern India. They are a component of arrow poison in Tropical Asia. Potato Tree is grown as an ornamental in the Caribbean and is an acceptable shade plant for shade-grown coffee. [11]

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 aviculare</i> Species of plant

Solanum aviculare, commonly called poroporo or pōporo, bumurra (Dharug), kangaroo apple, pam plum (Australia), or New Zealand nightshade, is a soft-wooded shrub native to New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.

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

Solanum aculeastrum is commonly known as soda apple, sodaapple nightshade, goat apple, poison apple, or more ambiguously as "bitter-apple". It is a poisonous nightshade species from Africa and only distantly related to true apples. The term "soda apple" probably derives from "Sodom apple", modified due to the fruit's detergent properties.

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

Solanum torvum, also known as pendejera, turkey berry, devil's fig, pea eggplant, platebrush or susumber, is a bushy, erect and spiny perennial plant used horticulturally as a rootstock for eggplant. Grafted plants are very vigorous and tolerate diseases affecting the root system, thus allowing the crop to continue for a second year.

<i>Duranta erecta</i> Species of flowering plant

Duranta erecta is a species of flowering shrub in the verbena family Verbenaceae, native from Mexico to South America and the Caribbean. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical gardens throughout the world, and has become naturalized in many places. Common names include golden dewdrop, pigeon berry, and skyflower.

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

Solanum crispum is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Chile and Peru. Common names include Chilean potato vine, Chilean nightshade, Chilean potato tree and potato vine. Growing to 6 m (20 ft) tall, it is a semi-evergreen, woody-stemmed climbing plant. The small blue fragrant flowers, 2.5 cm in diameter, with prominent yellow ovaries, appear in clusters in summer. They resemble those of the closely related potato. Very small poisonous berries are produced in autumn. The berries start out green, then yellow-orange, and finally purple. The leaves are oval.

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

Solanum robustum, the shrubby nightshade, is a thorny perennial shrub native to northeastern South America of the genus Solanum and is therefore related to the potato and tomato plants. A medium shrub, the plant may grow 4 to 8 feet with velvety leaves and stems due to dense stellate trichomes present on all faces of the plant. Strong, straight or recurved flattened prickles up to 12 millimeters long may be found along the stems. The leaves grow 6 to 10 inches long and feature nine angled ridges along their perimeter. S. robustum blooms between late spring and mid fall with small clusters of white to yellow-white star shaped inflorescence followed by white or yellowish marble sized berries. S. robustum contains various tropane alkaloids in its leaves, fruit and stems and therefore should not be consumed.

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

Solanum pyracanthos, also known as the porcupine tomato, is an evergreen shrub native to tropical Madagascar. It belongs to the genus Solanum, a diverse and cosmopolitan genus with over 1,500 species including the tomato, potato and nightshades.

<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 tampicense</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum tampicense, also known as wetland nightshade, aquatic soda apple, and scrambling nightshade, is a perennial in the Solanaceae or Nightshade Family. It can exist as a vine, tree, or shrub and is native to the West Indies and Central America. It is classified as a noxious weed by the United States Department of Agriculture and by several states and is known as an invasive species in the state of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steroidal alkaloid</span> Class of chemical compounds

Steroidal alkaloids have the basic steroidal skeleton with nitrogen-based functional groups attached to the skeleton. More specifically, they are distinguished by their tetracyclic cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene skeleton that marks their close relationship with sterols. They fall in two major categories: Solanum alkaloids and Veratrum alkaloids. A Steroidal alkaloid has also been found in Chonemorpha fragrans, 'chonemorphine' was used to treat intestinal infections in Wistar rats..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solanaceae</span> Family of flowering plants that includes tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco

The Solanaceae, or the nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and ornamentals. Many members of the family contain potent alkaloids, and some are highly toxic, but many—including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell and chili peppers—are used as food. The family belongs to the order Solanales, in the asterid group and class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons). The Solanaceae consists of about 98 genera and some 2,700 species, with a great diversity of habitats, morphology and ecology.

<i>Psidium galapageium</i> Species of shrub

Psidium galapageium, the Galápagos guava or guayabillo, is a small tree or shrub found in tropical areas, formerly endemic to the Galápagos Islands.

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

Solanum sturtianum, commonly known as Thargomindah nightshade, is a flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is an upright shrub with grey-green leaves and purple flowers. This species is endemic to Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Carrero, C. (2022). "Solanum erianthum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T144220703A196107051. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T144220703A196107051.en . Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Solanum erianthum". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2013-02-05.
  3. 1 2 "Solanum erianthum". AgroForestryTree Database. World Agroforestry Centre. Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
  4. ↑ Nelson, Gil (1994). The Trees of Florida: a Reference and Field Guide. Pineapple Press Inc. pp. 297–298. ISBN   978-1-56164-055-3.
  5. 1 2 3 4 McMullen, Conley K. (1999). Flowering plants of the Galápagos. Cornell University Press. p. 121. ISBN   978-0-8014-8621-0.
  6. 1 2 3 Mild, Christina. "Wonderful and Woody Shrubs of the Water's Edge...and Beyond" (PDF). Native Plant Project. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  7. ↑ "Solanum erianthum D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal. 96. 1825". Flora of China.
  8. ↑ Wiggins, Ira Loren; Duncan M. Porter (1971). Flora of the Galápagos Islands . Stanford University Press. pp.  479–480. ISBN   978-0-8047-0732-9.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Hammer, Roger L. (2004). Florida Keys Wildflowers: A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of the Florida Keys. Globe Pequot. p. 205. ISBN   978-0-7627-2569-4.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ Richardson, Alfred (1995). Plants of the Rio Grande Delta. University of Texas Press. pp. 238–239. ISBN   978-0-292-77070-6.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schmelzer, G.H.; A. Gurib-Fakim (2008). Medicinal Plants. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. pp. 522–524. ISBN   978-90-5782-204-9.
  12. ↑ Felger, Richard Stephen; Matthew Brian Johnson; Michael Francis Wilson (2001). The Trees of Sonora, Mexico. Oxford University Press. p. 315. ISBN   978-0-19-512891-8.
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