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Lycianthes rantonnetii
Also called Blue Potatobush, Paraguayan Nightshade, Blue Potato Shrub
Lycianthes rantonnetii is a fast-growing, rounded evergreen shrub from South America, grown for its blue star-shaped flowers. It needs full sun and shelter, and is often grown in a container and brought indoors in winter in cooler areas.
Lycianthes rantonnetii, the blue potato bush or Paraguay nightshade, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to South America. Though related to food plants like the potato and tomato, all parts of the plant are considered toxic to humans.
It is widely cultivated and may be hardy in mild or coastal areas. Alternatively it can be grown in a container and brought under cover in winter. It requires a sheltered location in full sun. It has been given the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The plant is vulnerable to pests such as aphids, caterpillars, and thrips.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lycianthes rantonnetii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
