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Nelson's horsenettle

Solanum nelsonii

Also called Popolo

Nelson's horsenettle
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0

Solanum nelsonii, called popolo or Nelson's horsenettle, is a partly woody, sprawling shrub-like perennial in the nightshade family, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It grows low in coastal sites, in coral rubble to pure sand, and is listed as endangered.

Family
Solanaceae (Nightshade family)
Grows as
Shrub, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly once established, letting the soil dry between waterings, since it grows in dry coastal conditions.
Soil
Free-draining sandy or coral-rubble soil.
Temperature
Frost-free tropical to subtropical conditions; protect below 10 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: The plant is poisonous; the sources describe it as a poisonous plant, and the berries and other parts should not be eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
Hawaiian Is.

About

Solanum nelsonii (often misspelled Solanum nelsoni), common names pōpolo and Nelson's horsenettle, is a partially woody sprawling shrub-like perennial plant in the family Solanaceae, part of the Solanum or nightshade genus. This poisonous plant is endemic to the Pacific Islands. It grows low in coastal sites in coral rubble to pure sand.

Solanum nelsonii was listed as an endangered species wherever found by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on September 30, 2016. Pōpolo is used in restoration projects around the state of Hawaii and the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Other Solanum plants

Nightshade · Dwarf Tamarillo · Solanum acaule · Solanum acerifolium · Sodaapple nightshade · Dutch Eggplant · Solanum adenophorum · Solanum adoxum · Sonoita nightshade · Ethiopian nightshade · Solanum africanum · Solanum agnewiorum

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Solanum nelsonii 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.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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