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 also contains the nightshades and horse nettles, as well as numerous plants cultivated for their ornamental flowers and fruit.
Solanum pseudocapsicum is a nightshade species with mildly poisonous fruit. It is commonly known as the Jerusalem cherry, Madeira winter cherry, or, ambiguously, "winter cherry". These perennials can be grown decoratively as house plants, but in some areas of South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand it is regarded as a weed.
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 not related to true apples. The term "soda apple" probably derives from "Sodom apple", modified due to the fruit's detergent properties.
Solanum mammosum is 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.
Solanum torvum, the 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.
Solanum linnaeanum is a nightshade species known as devil's apple and, in some places where it is introduced, apple of Sodom. The latter name is also used for other nightshades and entirely different plants elsewhere, in particular the poisonous milkweed Calotropis procera.
Solanum elaeagnifolium, the silverleaf nightshade or silver-leaved nightshade, is a common native plant to parts of the southwestern USA, and sometimes weed of western North America and also found in South 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". The plant is also endemic to the Middle East.
Solanum sisymbriifolium is commonly known as vila-vila, sticky nightshade, red buffalo-bur, the fire-and-ice plant, litchi tomato, or Morelle de Balbis.
Solanum capsicoides, the cockroach berry, known as polohauai'i in Polynesia, is a flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is native to eastern Brazil but naturalized in other tropical regions, where it sometimes becomes an invasive weed.
Solanum bullatum is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae. It is endemic to southeastern Brazil, in Atlantic Forest habitats. It is found in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo.
Solanum sodiroi is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae. It is possibly endemic to Ecuador.
Solanum cinnamomeum is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae. It is endemic to Brazil. Although considered to be at low risk of extinction, its survival depends on conservation.
Solanum ensifolium is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae endemic to Puerto Rico. Commonly known as erubia, it is nearly extinct due to habitat loss.
"Solanum lanuginosum" is a flowering plant species in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). It probably belongs to those species formerly in Solanum but nowadays placed in Lycianthes, though its exact identity and name remain undetermined.
Solanum leucodendron is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae. The plant is endemic to the Atlantic Forest ecoregion in southeastern Brazil.
"Solanum loxense" is a flowering plant species in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). It probably belongs to those species formerly in Solanum but nowadays placed in Lycianthes, though its exact identity and name remain undetermined.
Solanum luteoalbum is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae.
Solanum ternatum is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Solanum lanceolatum, with the common names orangeberry nightshade and lanceleaf nightshade, is a species of nightshade. It is native to regions of South America, including the Cerrado ecoregion of the Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, primarily in Brazil.
