Lycianthes biflora

Family: Solanaceae

What it is like

A shrub. It is softly hairy. It grows 1.5 m tall. The leaves are of 2 types. The main leaves are oval and 9-15 cm long by 5-7 cm wide. The minor leaves are 2.5-4 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The flowers occur as several in a group in the axils of leaves. They are purple and white. The fruit are red berries. They are 6-9 mm across. There are many pale yellow seeds.

There are about 180 Lycianthes species, mostly in tropical America.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It Taiwan it grows from 100-2,300 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan

How it is used for food

Edible parts

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Solanum biflorum Lour. Solanum biflorum var. glabrum Hatusima; Solanum biflorum var. kotoensis Y. C. Liu & C. H. Ou;