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Solanum quitoense
Also called Quito Orange
Naranjilla (also called lulo or Quito orange) is a tropical perennial shrub from northwestern South America, grown for its citrus-pineapple flavoured fruit. It needs warm, frost-free conditions and shelter from strong wind and harsh midday sun.
Solanum quitoense, known as naranjilla (Spanish pronunciation: [naɾaŋˈxiʝa], "little orange") in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama and as lulo ([ˈlulo], from Quechua) in Colombia, is a tropical perennial plant from northwestern South America.
The naranjilla is not well-suited to large-scale cultivation. Its fruit, like tomatoes, is easily damaged when ripe, so is usually harvested unripe. The fruits are found at markets, and locals commonly prepare beverages by adding sugar and water to the freshly squeezed fruits.
Lulo fruit pulp is 87% water, 1% protein, 6% carbohydrates, has negligible fat, and contains minerals, vitamin C, and carotenoids. Its composition varies by growing conditions (region, genotype, cultivation).
Dwarf Tamarillo · Solanum acaule · Sodaapple nightshade · Ethiopian nightshade · American black nightshade · Solanum arcanum · New Zealand nightshade · Solanum berthaultii · Tamarillo · Solanum brevicaule · Solanum cajanumense · Bitter Apple
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Solanum quitoense 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.
