Solanum sisymbriifolium
Solanum sisymbriifolium
Safety & Hazards
Although providing many well-known foods for people, including the potato, tomato, pepper and aubergine, most species in this genus also contain toxic alkaloids. Whilst these alkaloids can make the plant useful in treaing a range of medical conditions, they can also cause problems such as nausea, vomiting, salivation, drowsiness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weakness and respiratory depression[ 293 Title Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Publication Author Website http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes. ]. Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant[ K Title Plants for a Future Author Ken Fern Description Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips. ].
Botanical Description
Solanum sisymbriifolium is an erect, heavily armed, perennial plant with a lifestyle ranging from annual to short-lived perennial with more or less woody stems; it can grow from 40 - 150cm tall[ 435 Title Solanaceae Source Publication Author Website http://solanaceaesource.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae. ].. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is cultivated as a trap-crop to reduce pest levels in cultivated fields. Solanum sisymbriifolium can be a serious weed of pastures in its native range, and attains high densities (much like thistles in the northern hemisphere) due to its unpalatibility. The plant has spread as a weed to many areas from the tropics to the temperate zone. In South Africa it is classified as a noxious weed[ 435 Title Solanaceae Source Publication Author Website http://solanaceaesource.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae. ].It is likely that in the tropics and subtropics the plant can persist as a semi-perennial, while in the temperate zones it is an annual[ 435 Title Solanaceae Source Publication Author Website http://solanaceaesource.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Incredible detail on all the species in Solanum (now also including the Tomatoes which were formerly in Lycopersicon). The site will eventually include all other Genera within the Solanaceae. ].