Solanum diploconos
Solanum diploconos
Safety & Hazards
The unripe fruit is slightly toxic. 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[1]. Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant[PFAF].
Cultivation Details
A plant of the subtropics to tropics. Plants fruit best with cool temperatures in the growing season[2]. Succeeds in a sunny position in any well-drained soil[2]. Prefers a light fertile soil[2]. Dislikes drought[2]. Plants are very prone to wind damage[2]. A very fast growing plant, it starts to fruit within two years from seed and reaches peak production in 3 - 4 years[2]. Trees are, however, short-lived and start to degenerate after about 8 years[2]. Plants are probably insensitive to day-length[2]. This species has a greater tolerance to powdery mildew than the tree tomato and a smaller more robust stature[2]. Plants have a shallow spreading root system and resent surface hoeing, they are best given a good mulch[2]. Plants usually ripe their fruit over a period of time, though pruning methods can be used to produce a peak time of fruiting[2]. The leaves have a pungent smell[2]. Plants are subject to attacks by red spider mites.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 4 weeks at 15°c[PFAF], within 2 weeks at 25°c[3]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of greenwood in a frame[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Solanum+diploconos>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Poisonous Plants of North Carolina — http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm ↩︎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.
- [2]Lost Crops of the Incas — Popenoe. H. et al · National Academy Press · 1990 · ISBN 0-309-04264-X ↩︎An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
- [3]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
- [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [5]Solanaceae Source — http://solanaceaesource.org/ ↩︎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.
- [6]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [7]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎