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Solanum petrophilum
Solanum petrophilum, commonly known as rock nightshade or prickly nightshade, is an Australian native perennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the family Solanaceae. Solanaceae has a worldwide distribution and also contains important food species such as the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), peppers (Capsicum annuum), and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
Solanum is a large genus in the Solanaceae family with over 100 different species in the family occurring in Australia, and a large majority of them also being native. Particularly many species occur in arid and semi-arid areas, though many also have wide distributions excluding alpine, saline and aquatic habitats.
The berries of S. petrophilum have long been thought to be toxic to livestock, though no clear evidence has proven this. It is likely due to the presence of toxic steroidal glycoalkaloids in the berries which can be harmful if ingested. They are a natural defence in many Solanum species against snails and insects and have the potential to suppress the germination of other competing plants. Some other Australian native Solanum species such as S. centrale are important food sources in arid Australia, though can still be toxic when unripe, but S. petrophilum is still treated with caution and avoided as a food source.
Conversely, in studies of the Yellow-footed Rock Wallabies (Petrogale xanthopus), S. petrophilum was found to be a major contributor to its diet, particularly in summer and autumn when there is more fruit present and a lower proportion of other herbs.
Solanum petrophilum is widespread throughout the arid areas of inland Australia. It primarily occurs in South Australia such as the Gawler and Flinders Ranges, with some distribution in the Northern Territory, the Coolgardie area of Western Australia and the sandplain and sandstone hills of New South Wales near Broken Hill.
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 petrophilum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
