Solanum sessiliflorum
Dunal
Cocona
(c) Jahir Sánchez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) José Edilson Espitia Barrera, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by José Edilson Espitia Barrera
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Fruit
The soft fruits are peeled and used for jams, preserves, pies, sauces, and drinks. The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It suits the hot, wet tropical lowlands. It grows between 200-1,000 m altitude in the Andes. It grows naturally in regions with temperatures between 18-30°C. It is best on light well-drained soils. It cannot tolerate root knot nematodes. The rainfall is 1,500-4,500 mm per year. It needs full sun. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
Amazon, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Central America*, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guiana, Guianas, Jamaica, Mexico, North America, Pacific, Peru*, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, South America, Suriname, Trinidad, USA, Venezuela, West Indies,
How to Identify
A herb or small shrub. It grows 1-2 m tall. The leaves are oval and large. They are 30-50 cm long by 20-30 cm wide. The lobes taper to the tips. The lobes are triangle shaped and the edges are wavy. The flowers are 4-5 cm across. They are in racemes in the axils of leaves. The fruit is soft and oval. It is orange or red with subacid to sour pulp. There are many seeds. The skin of the fruit has a soft fuzz which can be rubbed off. The fruit are oval and 4-12 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. The fruit are edible.
Nutrition Score: 31/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | — | — | 0.6 | 140 | — | 0.6 | — | — |
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed. Seeds are allowed to ferment for a couple of days to remove the flesh then washed and dried before planting. Seeds can be put in a nursery and transplanted when 20-30 cm high. A spacing about 2 m apart is suitable. Plants can be grown by cuttings or air-layering.
Propagation: Seed - sow in trays in a nursery. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on fast. Plant them out when 10cm or more tall. Cuttings of half-ripe wood. Very easy, the cuttings root within a couple of weeks. Root cuttings.
Medicinal Uses
No medicinal uses listed in provided data.
Other Uses
The fruit is used as a bath soap and also as a shampoo to clean and shine the hair
Wikipedia
Source ↗Solanum sessiliflorum, the cocona, is a tropical shrub of the family Solanaceae. The cocona plant has sturdy branches and huge, serrate and hairy leaves. Cocona closely resembles a number of close relatives, including naranjilla (S. quitoense) and pseudolulo (S. pseudolulo.) It can be distinguished from those plants by its lack of spines. It will hybridize with those and other close relatives. Cocona also lacks the characteristic purple coloring usually seen in the naranjilla. Its flowers resemble large potato flowers, with light green petals. Cocona is harvested in parts of South America around the Amazon rainforest such as Purús Province in eastern Peru. The fruit of cocona is a red, orange or yellow edible berry. Cocona is native to the Andean region of South America, where it is occasionally cultivated for human consumption. Cocona can also be grown as an indoor ornamental plant in temperate climates, but it seems to be quite sensitive to spider mites, so care should be taken not to keep it in too dry air during winter. Like the naranjilla, coconas are highly sensitive to aphids and nematodes. As subtropical plants, they can endure cool weather, but will be killed or severely damaged by frost. During summer, it can be grown outside or in a cold greenhouse. When grown from seed, coconas can bear fruit in as little as 9 months, or as long as 24. Solanum georgicum and Solanum hyporhodium were (and sometimes still are) included in this species, but they are generally treated as distinct today.
Production
Fruit mature about 8 weeks after pollination.
Other Information
It is a cultivated food plant. Fruit are commonly eaten locally.
Notes
There are about 1400 Solanum species.
Names & Synonyms
Ccujapacco tton'tto, Chope, Coconilla, Cubios, Cubiu, Cucuna, Kukuna, Larajilla tape, Lulo, Miutoahui'ca, Naranjilla de monte, Orinoco apple, Peach tomato, Topiro, Tupiro, Tupiru, Turkey berry, Uwica
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