Coral bush
| Coral bush | ||||||||||||
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Coral bush ( Solanum pseudocapsicum ) |
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| Solanum pseudocapsicum | ||||||||||||
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The coral shrub ( Solanum pseudocapsicum ) is a plant style of the genus Solanum ( Solanum ). The species, which comes from Central and South America , is often offered as an ornamental plant and is then also known under names such as coral trees, coral cherries, ostrich cherries or Jerusalem cherries.
description
Vegetative characteristics
The coral shrub is a small, shrubby , prostrate plant up to 1 m high. The twigs and leaves are hairless to densely hairy, but balding relatively quickly. The hair consists of 0.1 to 0.5 mm long, tree-like branched trichomes . The bark of older branches is colored pale golden brown.
The sympodial units have two leaves standing in pairs. The leaves are elliptical to narrowly elliptical in shape. The base is pointed, the leaves are pointed or rounded towards the front. The leaf margin is often curled or irregularly shaped. The upper side is usually hairless or rarely with a few single-row or tree-like branched trichomes along the central axis, the underside is hairless to densely hairy. The trichomes dry up with a golden-brown color. The leaves come in two sizes. The larger leaves are 2.5 to 9 cm long and 0.7 to 4.5 cm wide and have four to six side veins per half of the leaf, they are on 0.2 to 1 cm long petioles . The smaller leaves reach a size of 0.9 to 3.5 × 0.4 to 2.7 cm.
Inflorescences and flowers
The simple inflorescences are opposite the leaves, are 0.2 to 1 cm long and consist of one to eight flowers , cultivated forms often have only one flower per inflorescence. The inflorescences are hairless or densely downy-haired with tree-like branched trichomes. The strong flower stalks have a length of 0.3 to 1 mm and a diameter of 0.5 mm at flowering. They are bent back, their attachment points of the flower stalks are far apart and do not overlap, the attachment points become corky when the fruit is ripe. The buds are elliptical in shape, the petals in the closed bud do not protrude beyond the sepals .
The calyx consists of a 1 to 2 mm long, tubular calyx tube, which is followed by 1.5 to 4 mm (in cultivated plants also up to 6 or 7 mm) long calyx tips. The calyx lobes are elongated triangular, the tip is rounded or occasionally spatulate. The hairiness resembles that of the rest of the plant. The crown is colored white and reaches a diameter of 1 to 1.5 (in cultivated plants up to 2.5) cm. The petals stand on half to three quarters free from each other. The side of the tip facing away from the axis and the margins are densely papillary .
The stamens are fused to 0.5 to 1 mm to form a tube, which is followed by an area of 0.5 to 1 cm in length, in which the stamens are free. The anthers are dark orange-red and are 3 to 4 mm long and 1 to 1.5 mm wide. The stylus becomes 5 to 6 mm long, is hairless and ends in a small-headed scar , the surface of which is finely papillary.
Fruits and seeds
The fruits are spherical berries that are initially green in color and turn from yellow to dark orange-red when ripe. The pericarp is thin and papery. The calyx tips enlarge on the fruit to a length of 5 to 7 mm, the stalks are between 0.8 and 1 cm long on the fruit, are woody and stand upright. The 3 to 4 × 2.5 to 3 mm large seeds are pale yellow, flattened kidney-shaped and have a thicker edge. The surface is fine-grained, the cells of the surface have an elongated rectangular outline.
distribution
The species is common in Central and South America . It can be found from Mexico to southern Brazil , Argentina and Uruguay . It grows at altitudes between 0 and 2600 m in dry locations.
Due to the worldwide cultivation, it can often be found as a cultural refugee in tropical and subtropical areas.
Systematics
Within the genus of the nightshade, the species is classified in the Geminata clade. Some related species are grouped together in the Solanum pseudocapsicum group.
use
The fruits of the coral bush are poisonous and the consumption of just two berries can cause symptoms of intoxication such as gastrointestinal complaints, nausea, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Nevertheless, due to its attractive appearance, the coral bush was used as an ornamental plant early on , mostly as a pot plant . The species has been cultivated in Germany since the end of the 16th century. There are several varieties. The toxins are solanocapsine and other alkaloids .
supporting documents
- Solanum pseudocapsicum (Solanaceae Source)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Poison Control Center at the University Hospital Bonn - coral tree (Solanum pseudocapsicum)
- ^ Eckehart J. Jäger, Friedrich Ebel, Peter Hanelt, Gerd K. Müller (eds.): Rothmaler Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Volume 5: Herbaceous ornamental and useful plants . Spectrum Academic Publishing House, Berlin Heidelberg 2008, ISBN 978-3-8274-0918-8 .
