Solanum scabrum
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Solanum scabrum |
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| Mill. |
Solanum scabrum , also known as the garden huckleberry , is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant. The origin of the species is considered uncertain, although Linnaeus suspectsit to be in Africa ; the species also occurs in North America and occurs naturally in many other countries. In Africa it is grown as a leaf vegetable, the berries are harvested as a coloring agent.
description
The plants are annuell or briefly perennial with herbaceous growth up to a meter in height; they are hairless or sparsely hairy. The leaves are usually oval, 7-12 cm long and 5-8 cm wide with 1.7 to 7 cm long stems . The inflorescence is simple, occasionally branched with 9–12 flowers. The white crown is star-shaped, 15-20 mm in diameter and sometimes purple in color with a yellow-green basal star. The berries are round, have a diameter of 10-17 mm and are purple-black. The seeds are 1.8–2.2 mm long, pale or mottled purple.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 48 or 72.
use
food
Solanum scabrum is grown as an edible leaf vegetable in Africa. It is the most intensely cultivated leafy vegetable within the Solanum nigrum complex . As such, it was subject to genetic selection by farmers who attempted breeding to increase leaf size and other properties.
The edible fruits are used cooked, often in jams or cakes. However, they must be fully ripe, otherwise they will be bitter.
Dye plant
In Africa, a squat form of Solanum scabrum is grown as a coloring plant; the ripe berries are used for coloring.
Individual evidence
- ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls) Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Manoko, MLK, van den Berg, RG, Feron, RMC, van der Weerden, GM, Mariani, C., Genetic diversity of the African hexaploid species Solanum scabrum Mill. And Solanum nigrum L. (Solanaceae) , Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, Volume 55, Number 3, 409-418.
- ↑ Factsheet Solanum scabrum , Flora of South Australia
- ↑ Solanum scabrum at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
