Solanum anguivi
Lam.
Forest bitterberry, Madagascar potato
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Summary
Source: WikipediaSolanum anguivi is a plant indigenous to non-arid parts of Africa, and is commonly known as forest bitterberry or African eggplant, although the latter term is most commonly associated with Solanum aethiopicum. It is a traditional ethnomedicine in India.
Description
A shrub. It grows 1 m high. It has irregular branches. They are slightly woody. There are short prickles on the stems and leaf veins. The leaves are oval and some deep triangle shaped lobes on each side. The leaves are 15 cm long by 10 cm wide. The flowers are in compact groups of 12 small flowers. They are mauve or white. The fruit are small orange or red berries. They are 1 cm across.
Edible Uses
The fruit are eaten as a vegetable, either unripe or ripe. Unripe fruit can be cooked, sun-dried for storage, and used later in soups, or they can be salted, dried, roasted in oil, and eaten. Ripe fruit can be eaten raw or fried. Leaves are also edible.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are eaten as a vegetable. They can be cooked and sun dried and then stored for later use in soups. They are used unripe. The ripe fruit can be eaten raw. They are also fried. The green fruit are salted, dried, roasted in oil and eaten.
Medicinal Uses
The plant is used for medicine.
Known 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. Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in relatively humid locations.
Where It Grows
Africa, Arabia, Asia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seeds. Seedlings emerge in about a week. A spacing of about 1 m is suitable.
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ. Emergence of the seedlings starts about a week after sowing.
Production
Flowering starts 2-3 months after seed germination. Fruit are ready 2-3 weeks after fruit set. Plants can keep producing for up to one year. Often fruit are collected at the end of the rainy season and early in the dry season.
Other Information
Fruit are sold in local markets.
Notes
It is used for flavouring and medicine. There are about 1400 Solanum species.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Bekuri teeta, Chunda, Duro, Hepi keho, Kattuthudhuvalai, Katukuma, Katunkuma, Kharangeh, Limka, Mothiringani, Mselekete, Njujui, Ntunfululu, Obuhuruhuru, Ranavangi, Ranvangi, Samtawk-te, Songwa, Twak-te-aka
References (32)
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