Solanum retroflexum
Dunal
Sunberry, Wonderberry
(c) Gigi Laidler, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Gigi Laidler
(c) Debbie Wall Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Debbie Wall Smith
(c) Debbie Wall Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Debbie Wall Smith
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves - flavouring
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, though it is not very appetizing raw and the flavour improves with cooking. It is noticeably sweeter and more pleasant than the similar Solanum nigrum guineense, though still not among the most appealing fruits. The fruit is about 1cm in diameter and is produced in small bunches.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in hot arid places with a marked dry season. It grows between 10-2,730 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.
Africa, Angola, Arabia, Australia, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, North America, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, USA, West Africa, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A spreading annual herb. It grows 50-100 cm high. The stems are angled and grooved. The leaves simple and alternate and can have lobes or teeth. There are spreading hairs on the stems. The flowers are in small groups and are drooping. They are in the axils of leaves. The flowers are white, star shaped and 16 mm across. The fruit are green but turn black and 8 mm across. There are many seeds.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seeds. Seeds have a low germination. They need light to germinate. Treated seeds with potassium nitrate (salt peter) germinate better.
Propagation: Sow seed in spring in a greenhouse. Prick seedlings out into individual pots when large enough to handle and plant out after the last expected frosts.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Other Uses
None known
Wikipedia
Source ↗Solanum retroflexum, commonly known as umsobo (isiZulu), wonderberry or sunberry, is a historic heirloom fruiting shrub. Both common names are also used for the European black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) in some places, particularly where the latter species has been introduced, so care must be taken to distinguish them. It is sometimes called garden huckleberry, but that properly refers to the species S. scabrum described by Philip Miller. The plant produces diminutive, dark blue-purple edible fruits that are bland in flavor and often combined with sugar in desserts. Green (unripe) fruits may be poisonous.
Notes
There are about 1400 Solanum species.
Names & Synonyms
Intfumana, Momodi, Msoba, Muxe, Nasgal, Nastergal, Seshoa-bohloko, Sobosobo berry, Umsoba, Umsobo omnyama
References (23)
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- Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)
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- Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 646
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