can anyone help me figure out what this plant is? the plant bears yellowish fruits that look like tomatoes but are in a cluster like grapes. it has purple flowers and furry stems. the leaves are large like about the size of a hand or double. and the plant grows extremely fast. does anybody know the name of this plant? it is growing in my garden, and i don't know if it was from a seed i had purchased or if the fruits are edible. if anybody can help me figure out the name, i would be so happy! thanks! i am attaching a few pictures, hope they are viewable! View attachment Image000=.bmp View attachment Image002=.bmp View attachment Image004=.bmp View attachment Image009=.bmp
Re: can anyone help me figure out what this plant is? Now that I cans see more of it not Cyphomandra I don't think.
Re: can anyone help me figure out what this plant is? Looks like Solanum quitoense, but the leaves on your plant are not scalloped -- perhaps related.
Solanum mauritianum i think you've hit jackpot!!@! it looks like this may be the species, but the leaves are not that long. i'm viewing yahoo images of Solanum mauritianum, and comparing them to my plant. question: are the fruits edible? will i die? how do they taste? i read they are poisonous and only birds eat them??
Certainly is Solanum mauritianum. It's a very common weed here in high-rainfall areas of eastern Australia, growing to about 5 m tall. I would not get too paranoid about it being deadly poisonous. With most Solanums it's the green fruit that contains poisonous alkaloids and if the ripe fruit is sweet and juicy it is unlikely to be very poisonous.
i read that the whole plant is poisonous. wikipedia: "Woolly nightshade is poisonous and handling the plants can cause irritation and nausea. The dust from the plant can cause respiratory problems if exposure is prolonged." The Global Invasive Species Database: "All parts of this plant are poisonous to humans, especially the berries." Invasive in: New Zealand, South Africa, Australia. The main toxic compound in S. mauritianum is the steroid alkaloid solasodine. i wonder how a plant like this can end up in california, USA? can birds travel that far to be dispersing seed into this area? how does this plant cause irritation and nausea? what types of effects have been reported? what happens when a person eats a lot of the fruits? what does solasodine do? why is it safe for birds to consume and not for humans? i wonder how the fruit tastes? i'm so interested in this plant. it's so amusing just to see the fruits! too bad it is toxic and must be destroyed...
Probably one planted by a gardener somewhere nearby, and then invading locally as it has done in those other areas The irritation probably from the hairs. Don't know about the nausea! Different adaptations in the digestive systems. An awful lot of plants have evolved fruit that are digestible by birds (which are good at long-distance seed dispersal), but to be toxic to mammals (which are not good seed dispersers). Likely, very bitter, or burning. But I'd be cautious about trying it! At most, touch your tongue tip gently to a cut-open fruit, and have a glass of water ready to rinse out if it proves revolting.
oh well i am not gonna try it :) i think i will just have peaches instead...hehehehe... does it cause a rash on the skin? or just minor temporary itching? i've cut it down without wearing any long shirts or gloves...and the skin on my arms feel a little rough and dry. i don't know if it's the effect from the plant. i just hope it will go away :(
