Solanum retroflexum

Last updated

Solanum retroflexum
Solanum retroflexum burbankii wonderberry sunberry.jpg
Flowers and unripe fruit of Solanum retroflexum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Species:
S. retroflexum
Binomial name
Solanum retroflexum
Dunal
Synonyms [1]

Solanum × burbankii
Solanum melanocerasum

Solanum retroflexum, commonly known as umsobo (isiZulu), wonderberry [1] or sunberry, [1] is a historic heirloom fruiting shrub. Both common names are also used for the European black nightshade ( Solanum nigrum ) 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 S. scabrum described by Philip Miller.

Contents

The plant produces diminutive, dark blue-purple edible fruits that are bland in flavor and often combined with sugar in desserts. Green (unripe) fruits may be poisonous.[ citation needed ]

Description

Plants are compact, typically growing to a height of 12–24 in (30–61 cm), and may fruit at sizes as small as 4 in (10 cm). The plant produces diminutive, dark blue-purple edible fruits. Green (unripe) fruits may be poisonous.[ citation needed ]

Taxonomy

Its old scientific name that is still often seen, Solanum × burbankii, indicates a plant of hybrid origin. It was supposedly bred by Luther Burbank in the early 1900s as a hybrid of S. villosum and S. guineense [2] but in fact S. retroflexum is a proper species of its own, while the supposed hybrid combination would not be viable due to different ploidy of S. guineense and S. villosum.

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic research suggests S. retroflexum's closest living relatives to be garden huckleberry (S. scabrum), golden pearls (S. villosum), and S. annuum in order of recency of deviation. [3]

The following phylogenetic tree is suggested: [3]

Solanum

(1,225 other Solanum species)

S. ptychanthum (black nightshade) North America, South America

S. tredecimgranum

S. americanum (glossy nightshade) Americas, Melanesia, New Guinea, and Australia

S. nigrum (European nightshade) Europe, Asia, Macaronesia, and the North Africa

S. opacum (greenberry nightshade or morelle verte) Taiwan to New Zealand and Pacific

S. chenopodioides (whitetip nightshade) Argentina to Peru

S. scabrum (garden huckleberry or mnavu) Africa, Indian Ocean

S. retroflexum

S. villosum (hairy nightshade, golden pearls) Euro-Siberian, Irano-Turanian and Mediterranean regions worldwide

S. annuum (Bolivia to Northern Argentina)

S. fiebrigii (Peru to NW Argentina)

S. enantiophyllanthum (SE Brazil)

S. pallidum (Bolivia, Peru)

S. physalifolium (hoe nightshade) NW Argentina, Bolivia, Peru

Jaltomata (73 species)

Cultivation

The wonderberry shrub is an easy-to-grow plant which is grown similarly to tomatoes. Seeds are sown in the summer in full or part sun. Fruit can be expected in 75 days.

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.

<i>Prunus virginiana</i> Species of plant

Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America.

<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 quitoense</i> Species of plant

Solanum quitoense, known as naranjilla in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama and as lulo in Colombia, is a tropical perennial plant from northwestern South America. The specific name for this species of nightshade means "from Quito."

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

Solanum lycocarpum, or wolf apple, is common in the Brazilian savanna, the Cerrado ecoregion. The plant is called lobeira or fruta-do-lobo in Portuguese.

<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>Chrysobalanus icaco</i> Species of tree

Chrysobalanus icaco, the cocoplum, paradise plum, abajeru or icaco, is a low shrub or bushy tree found near sea beaches and inland throughout tropical Africa, tropical Americas and the Caribbean, and in southern Florida and the Bahamas. An evergreen, it is also found as an exotic species on other tropical islands, where it has become a problematic invasive. Although taxonomists disagree on whether Chrysobalanus icaco has multiple subspecies or varieties, it is recognized as having two ecotypes, described as an inland, much less salt-tolerant, and more upright C. icaco var. pellocarpus and a coastal C. icaco var. icaco. Both the ripe fruit of C. icaco, and the seed inside the ridged shell it contains, are considered edible.

<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> Species of plant

Vaccinium corymbosum, the northern highbush blueberry, is a North American species of blueberry which has become a food crop of significant economic importance. It is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and southern United States, from Ontario east to Nova Scotia and south as far as Florida and eastern Texas. It is also naturalized in other places: Europe, Japan, New Zealand, the Pacific Northwest of North America, etc. Other common names include blue huckleberry, tall huckleberry, swamp huckleberry, high blueberry, and swamp blueberry.

<i>Sambucus canadensis</i> Species of plant

Sambucus canadensis, the American black elderberry, Canada elderberry, or common elderberry, is a species of elderberry native to a large area of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, south to Bolivia. It grows in a variety of conditions including both wet and dry soils, primarily in sunny locations.

<i>Syzygium guineense</i> Species of tree

Syzygium guineense is a leafy forest tree of the family Myrtaceae, found in many parts of Africa both wild and domesticated. Both its fruits and leaves are edible; the pulp and the fruit skin are sucked and the seed discarded. It is sometimes called "waterberry", but this may also refer to other species of Syzygium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huckleberry</span> Berry and plant

Huckleberry is a name used in North America for several plants in the family Ericaceae, in two closely related genera: Vaccinium and Gaylussacia.

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

Solanum pseudolulo is a subtropical perennial plant from northwestern South America. The pseudolulo is a large herbaceous plant or a small shrub, with heart-shaped leaves. The leaves and stems of the plant are covered in short hairs, and the entire plant is often covered in sharp spines.

<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 abutiloides</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum abutiloides is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae. It is endemic to Argentina and Bolivia, and thrives as a weedy plant in rocky land, on stream banks, and scrub land between 900–3,600 metres (3,000–11,800 ft) in elevation. It is also known as dwarf tamarillo, due to superficial similarities with Solanum betaceum. Both plants are noted for very rapid growth from seed, and very strongly fragrant foliage. Solanum abutiloides is also sometimes known by the archaic Cyphomandra sibundoyensis.

Solanum vestissimum is a subtropical perennial plant from northwestern South America. Also known within its native range as toronjo, tumo, or coquina melón, S. vestissimum is a large semi-woody plant or shrub, up to 8 meters in height, though usually much smaller. The very large heart-shaped leaves are lined with spines along the top and bottom of the dorsal vein, similar to the naranjilla or pseudolulo. The leaves and stems of the plant are otherwise covered in short, felt-like hairs.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-fruit nightshade</span> Species of fruit and plant

Solanum virginianum, also called Surattense nightshade, yellow-fruit nightshade, yellow-berried nightshade, Indian nightshade,Thai green eggplant, or Thai striped eggplant, is a medicinal plant used mostly in India. Some parts of the plant, such as the fruit, are poisonous. Solanum surattense Burm. f. and Solanum xanthocarpum Schrad. and Wendl. are synonyms of Solanum virginianum L..

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Solanum retroflexum Dunal". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  2. Year Book. Vol. 6. Carnegie Institution of Washington. 1907. p. 176. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Solanum retroflexum - opentree". Open Tree of Life . Retrieved 2023-04-02.