Solanum laciniatum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Solanales |
Family: | Solanaceae |
Genus: | Solanum |
Species: | S. laciniatum |
Binomial name | |
Solanum laciniatum | |
Synonyms | |
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Solanum laciniatum (also known as poroporo or bullibulli [1] ) a soft-wooded shrub native to the east coast of Australia, notably Victoria and Tasmania. It also occurs in Western Australia [2] and New Zealand, where some authorities consider it to be introduced.[ citation needed ] 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. [3]
The shrub typically grows to a height and width of 1 to 3 m (3 ft 3 in to 9 ft 10 in) and blooms between January and February, producing purple blue flowers. [2] Solanum laciniatum is a hardy and short-lived glabrous perennial plant which can reach between 1 and 3 metres in height, but occasionally can reach up to 4 metres. It has a spindle-like shaped root system, consisting of numerous dividing roots which can go as deep as 20-30 cm into the ground. [4]
Solanum laciniatum has leaves which measure approximately 8-30cm in length, [5] the leaves of the plant can occasionally have large marginal ‘teeth’ present. [6] The flowers vary in colour from white to dark blue-violet, with the flowers being approximately 25-40mm in width. [5] The bright purple flowers have yellow anthers and the flowers themselves are distinctly cut into five petals, which is a characteristic able to be used as a comparison against other Solanum species. [6] Fruit produced from Solanum laciniatum varies from bright orange red to a deep scarlet-red and is approximately 10-15mm in width. [5]
It is indigenous to the North and South Islands of New Zealand, Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands but it is also present in the southeast of Australia and Tasmania. The plant has also been naturalized in areas of Russia and China, where plants have escaped cultivation and are freely reproducing in the wild without any form of assistance. [1]
Solanum laciniatum grows in well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade. It often colonises disturbed soil and tracks [3] and can tolerate moderately salty winds. [3] Due to being a coastal to montane plant, it can be found between 0-400 metres above sea level. It is usually found in recently disturbed habitats such as fire damage on land, and is also found in shrublands, alongside rivers, in gullies and in forested areas. Although found commonly in the wild, it is also a very common weed in many urban areas in the country. [1]
Solanum laciniatum flowers throughout the year, also producing fruit throughout the year, and their seeds (2.2mm-2.5mm) in diameter will most likely have the ability to lay dormant in the soil for large periods of time. This is because Solanum laciniatum usually emerges from the soil after it has been disturbed. They are also able to grow from semi-hardwood cuttings but do tend to grow much better directly from seed. [1] Solanum laciniatum are fast growing plants in correct conditions, but have a very short lifespan. [3]
Solanum laciniatum grows in well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade. [3] But can be grown in a variety of different soil types, from sandy soils on the margins of the coast where salinity could possibly be higher, to forest conditions what could possibly be darker and have a different climate. Solanum laciniatum can also be found by sides of riverbanks, where saturation levels would be higher than the possibly dry conditions of the coast. Due to its growth habit of being able to rapidly take over land that has been disturbed such as after forest fires, this plant doesn’t need any key nutrients for its growth, it can happily survive a range of environments. [1]
The fruit of Solanum laciniatum can be eaten by different species of birds. It can also be consumed by Leucinodes cordalis which is also known as the Poroporo fruit borer. This is a type of moth found both in New Zealand and Australia, and its primary host plant is Solanum laciniatum. [7]
Solanum laciniatum is also affected by the Poroporo gall mite (Tetra martini), which is an endemic mite to New Zealand. It punctures the surface of the plant’s cells and sucks up the sap directly from the leaf. [8]
Solanum laciniatum can be affected by a variety of different viruses: Cucumber mosaic virus, potato virus x, potato virus y, tomato spotted wilt virus and tobacco mosaic virus. The Cucumber mosaic virus caused the most severe symptoms in the Solanum laciniatum plant, which caused the lamina of the leaf to narrow significantly and caused a mottling pattern on the plant. [9]
Solanum laciniatum is often confused with Solanum aviculare, which is a much less common plant than S. laciniatum in New Zealand. Solanum aviculare has much narrower leaves, with the flowers reaching 10 to 40 millimetres in diameter and has an overall different chromosome number than S. laciniatum, which has 2n=46 compared to S. aviculare which has 2n=92. [1]
Solanum laciniatum has been traditionally used by Māori culture in medicinal practices. The leaves are usually beaten up into a pulp to treat skin sores, made into an oil to also treat wounds, or the leaf is placed whole directly onto the site of wounds. [10]
Solanum laciniatum is well known for being previously cultivated on a commercial scale both in Taranaki, New Zealand and also by the former Soviet Union for the production and use of steroid hormones for birth control and relief from rheumatoid arthritis. [6]
Solanum laciniatum like other plants in the same genus, contains a chemical called solasodine, a pharmaceutically important chemical compound. Steroid glycoalkaloids in the compound solasodine, which is naturally occurring in Solanum plants, and has become an important area of study for the synthesis of corticosteroids and contraceptives in medicine. [4]
The papaya, papaw, or pawpaw is the plant species Carica papaya, one of the 21 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and Central America. It is grown in several countries in regions with a tropical climate. In 2022, India produced 38% of the world's supply of papayas.
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.
Passiflora edulis, commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to the region of southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy fruit.
Solanum carolinense, the Carolina horsenettle, is not a true nettle, but a member of the Solanaceae, or nightshade family. It is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to the southeastern United States, though its range has expanded throughout much of temperate North America. The plant is an invasive in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The stem and undersides of larger leaf veins are covered with prickles.
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.
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.
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.
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".
Polygonum arenastrum, commonly known as equal-leaved knotgrass, is a summer annual flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae. Other common names include common knotweed, prostrate knotweed, mat grass, oval-leaf knotweed, stone grass, wiregrass, and door weed, as well as many others. It is native to Europe and can be found on other continents as an introduced species and a common noxious weed. Knotweed was first seen in North America in 1809 and is now seen across much of the United States and Canada.
Bush tomatoes are the fruit or entire plants of certain nightshade (Solanum) species native to the more arid parts of Australia. While they are quite closely related to tomatoes, they might be even closer relatives of the eggplant, which they resemble in many details. There are 94 natives and 31 introduced species in Australia.
Polygonum aviculare or common knotgrass is a plant related to buckwheat and dock. It is also called prostrate knotweed, birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass. It is an annual found in fields and wasteland, with white flowers from June to October. It is widespread across many countries in temperate regions, apparently native to Eurasia, naturalized in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Haloragis erecta, the shrubby haloragis, toatoa or erect seaberry, is a plant species that is endemic to New Zealand.
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.
Clematis paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is one of seven species of clematis native to New Zealand. C. paniculata is the most common of these, and is widespread in forests throughout the country.
The Celebrity tomato cultivar is a hybrid (biology) that produces long fruit-bearing stems holding 20 or more very plump, robust tomatoes. Fruits weigh approximately 8 oz., and are 4 inches across. Plants need caging or staking, and produce fruit throughout the growing season. The celebrity tomato is a cultivar of the species Solanum lycopersicum. It is a crossbreed of the common tomato that is widely used for various culinary purposes. This tomato is of great size and is known to be resistant to most tomato diseases such as Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, Tobacco mosaic virus and Root-knot nematode due to its hybrid nature. Celebrity tomatoes are highly adaptive to harsh environments and can grow in a wide range of places including dry, humid and wet regions. They are resistant to cracking and splitting which usually occurs when there is an excess of water and sugar movement in the fruits. Therefore, causing the tomato skin to grow at a slower rate compared to the expansion of the fruit. They can survive in harsh uneven rainfall. However, they are highly susceptible to colder environments and are at a higher risk of dying in regions with short growing seasons. The plants can grow up to 5 feet in height with bright red medium-sized fruits. The plants are generally very thick and grow in clusters. The tomato fruits are mostly used in the making of various salsas, salads, juices and canned food.
African nightshades are several species of plants in the section Solanum of the genus Solanum, that are commonly consumed as leafy vegetables and herbs. 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, 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. Other common names for African nightshade are Black nightshade and Narrow-leaved nightshade. 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).
Cuspicona simplex, commonly known as the green potato bug, is a herbivorous species of stink bug native to Australia and introduced to New Zealand. It feeds on nightshades. It is primarily known as a pest of potatoes, tomatoes, and other crops in the nightshade family.
Solanum sturtianum, commonly known as Sturt’s nightshade or Thargomindah nightshade, is a flowering plant from the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. Distinct by its purple flowers and dark-black fruits, it is a shrub endemic to the arid zones of mainland Australia.
Bulli Point is a point on Lake Taupō, in the central North Island of New Zealand. The point is a popular spot for rock jumping.