Solanum catombelense
Solanaceae FAMILY

Solanum catombelense

Solanum catombelense

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The sap of fresh unripe fruits is applied as arrow poison[ 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. ]. 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 catombelense is an erect shrub growing 40 - 100cm tall. Sparsely branched, it is unarmed or with a few spines[ 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 sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical
Native RangeSouthern Africa - Angola to Mozambique, south to S. Africa.
HabitatOccurs in many vegetation types: coastal forest, woodland, wooded grassland and grassland; along rivers, on rocky outcrops and in overgrazed and disturbed localities, at elevations from sea-level to 1,300 metres[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].