Solanum giganteum Jacq.

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Photo: Richard Gill
Kgaswane NR, Magaliesberg

Photo: Bart Wursten
Southern margin of Inhamitanga Forest near railway line, Coutada 12, Cheringoma

Habit
Riverine montane forest
Mafinga Mountains, Mafinga District
Jan 2022
Photo: Nick Wightman

Fruits and flower
Riverine montane forest
Mafinga Mountains, Mafinga District
Jan 2022
Photo: Nick Wightman

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:	Solanum niveum Vahl
Common names:	Red bitter apple (English) Red bitter berry (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native or possibly introduced
Description:	Shrub or small tree mostly less than 5 m tall, most parts densely covered in fine stellate rays. Stems with numerous laterally flattened prickles, 1-5 mm long. Branches white-tomentose, with scattered prickles. Leaves elliptic to ovate, lanceolate or obovate, 5-30 cm long, becoming shiny and dark green above when mature while remaining white-stellate-tomentose beneath; petiole 1-8 cm long; 1-2 leaf-like pseudostipules 1-3.5 cm long sometimes present. Inflorescences in branched corymbose heads, dense, many-flowered. Flowers nodding. Corolla pale blue to lilac or violet-purple, rarely white, each lobe with a greenish midvein. Fruit numerous, shiny red when ripe.
Type location:	cultivation in Vienna, originally from South Africa
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	giganteum: huge, gigantic
Habitat:	In forest edges, riverine forest, woodland and in rocky places.
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Origin uncertain, but believed to be native to the Cape; widespread in tropical and southern Africa, also the Canary Isles, tropical Asia, Australia and South America.
FZ divisions:	N,Z,MS,M
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Saturday 28 April 2018
Literature:	Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 869. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 52. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 272. Gonçalves, A.E. (2005). Solanaceae Flora Zambesiaca 8(4) Pages 88 - 90. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 80. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 235. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 178. Welman, W.G. (2008). The genus Solanum (Solanaceae) in southern Africa: subgenus Leptostemonum, section Giganteiformia Bothalia 38(1) Pages 40 - 42.

Other sources of information about Solanum giganteum:

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Flora of Burundi: Solanum giganteum
Flora of Malawi: Solanum giganteum
Flora of Zambia: Solanum giganteum
Flora of Zimbabwe: Solanum giganteum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Solanum giganteum
African Plant Database: Solanum giganteum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Solanum giganteum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Solanum giganteum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Solanum giganteum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Solanum giganteum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Solanum giganteum
JSTOR Plant Science: Solanum giganteum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Solanum giganteum
Plants of the World Online: Solanum giganteum
Tropicos: Solanum giganteum
Wikipedia: Solanum giganteum