Poka bush
| Poka bush | ||||||||||||
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Branch with petals and unripe berries |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Solanum torvum | ||||||||||||
| Sw. |
The Solanum Torvum (lat. Solanum torvum , alternatively Turks Berry, Eng. Turkey Berry) is one of the more than 2,000 kinds comprehensive family of nightshade family (Solanaceae).
Occurrence
The plant originally came from America . It is believed that their natural habitat must be sought in the Florida , Alabama, and West Indies areas. The plant was spread very early on the entire American continent from Mexico to Brazil in the tropical zone . Whether it was introduced as a crop or introduced as a weed can no longer be determined with certainty today. Information about its original range is also considered to be uncertain. The plant was introduced from America as a useful plant in almost all tropical regions and is now widespread in its eco-zone worldwide.
The plant needs an annual rainfall of 1000 to 4000 mm, but also thrives in drier areas along watercourses. In Puerto Rico it grows from sea level to 1000 meters, on Papua New Guinea up to a height of 2000 meters.
description
The plant is perennial and forms a shrub about three meters in size with a trunk diameter of 2 centimeters at the bottom. The plant is fast-growing and reaches its normal size after two years, but usually does not get older. There are isolated plants that are getting older, they can grow up to five meters high and have a trunk diameter of up to 8 centimeters.
The plant usually consists of a single stem protruding from the ground, which quickly divides. It has poorly developed tap roots with side shoots. The plant has spines that are arranged alternately. It has large lobed leaves.
The white flowers are axially arranged with five petals. They wither very quickly after opening. The first green berries emerge from the fertilized flowers, the color of which changes to yellow when they have ripened. The berries reach a diameter of around 1 centimeter.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24, rarely 48.
use
Since the berry fruits of the plant are edible, it is cultivated for this purpose in South and Southeast Asia. The fruits are eaten raw or cooked there. For example, they are part of the Thai green curry (Thai: แกง เขียวหวาน). Other parts, especially the roots, are used in folk medicine.
The poka bush is also used for grafting with related plants. There mainly with aubergine species, as the poka rhizome is more resistant to diseases than that of the species planted on it.
Berry fruits in Malaysia
dried berries
Individual evidence
- ↑ Solanum torvum at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Refinement comparison of the vegetable growing trial farm Bamberg ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , PDF, Retrieved February 11, 2010
Web links
- Solanum torvum . In: S. Dressler, M. Schmidt, G. Zizka (Eds.): African plants - A Photo Guide. Senckenberg, Frankfurt / Main 2014.
- Solanum torvum at Useful Tropical Plants.