Solanum incanum is a spiny, grey-felted subshrub in the nightshade family, native to Africa, the Middle East and India. It is a dry-climate plant that needs full sun and very well-drained soil, and it is best kept as a hardy garden or xeric specimen.
Family
Solanaceae (Nightshade family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply but infrequently, letting the soil dry out fully between waterings.
Soil
Sandy or gritty, very well-drained soil.
Temperature
18–35 °C; protect below 5 °C
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts, especially the unripe fruit and foliage, contain steroidal glycoalkaloids such as solasodine that can cause nausea, vomiting and gastrointestinal upset.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Africa, Arabian Pen., Iran to NW. India
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
About
Solanum incanum is a species of nightshade, a flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is native to East Africa, West Africa, the Middle East, and eastwards to India. The species was introduced to Taiwan and Vietnam.
Common names include thorn apple, bitter apple, bitterball and bitter tomato It may be confused with the similar S. linnaeanum where their ranges overlap in Africa. In ancient India, Solanum incanum was domesticated into the eggplant, Solanum melongena.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Solanum incanum 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.