Spiny tomato
Solanum echinatum
Family: Solanaceae
What it is like
A shrub. It can be upright or lay over. It is 0.5 m high. Most parts of the plant are hairy. The leaves are very hairy. The leaves are oval and vary in size. The blade can be 3-6 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They are grey-green. The flowers are purple with yellow centres. They are 1.5-2 cm across. Several flowers occur together in the axils of the leaves. The fruit is nearly round. It is a fleshy berry. They are 1-1.5 cm across. They have a thorny calyx around them. The fruit are pale green when ripe. There are many seeds inside.
There are about 1400 Solanum species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. Plants grow naturally in sandstone country.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seed.