Solanum aviculare
Kangaroo Apple
a perennial woody evergreen member of the Solanum genus in the family Solanaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Genus
- Solanum
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- evergreen
- Woodiness
- woody
- Height
- 1.8 m
- Fertility
- Insects
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Toxicity
Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
All green parts of the plant are poisonous[4] and so is the unripe fruit[7].
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Fruit - raw or cooked[2][7]. It must be thoroughly ripe because the unripe fruit is poisonous[11][14][3][4]. It can be used as a sweet fruit or as a vegetable[16]. Best harvested once it has fallen from the plant, the fruit will then have lost its unpleasant acidity[9]. It tastes much worse than it looks, the fruit is sickly sweet and often bitter[10]. The quality varies from plant to plant and even from year to year from the same plant[10]. The fruit is up to 2cm long and contains a large number of flat seeds[10].
- Plant part
- Fruit
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
A source of steroids, much used in the pharmaceutical industry. The unripe berries are the richest source[3][7].
- Product or use
- Miscellany
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
In warmer climates than Britain this plant is often used as a hedge[5].
Ecology and functions
Environment
- Range
- Australia, New Zealand.
- Habitat
- Coastal and lowland forest margins and shrubland on North South and Chatham Islands in New Zealand[13].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 9+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse. Germinates in 2 - 3 weeks at 20°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If growing the plants as annuals, plant them out after the last expected frosts and give them some protection such as a cloche until they are growing well. If growing as a perennial, especially in areas at the limits of its cold-hardiness, it will probably be better to grow the plants on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Give them fairly large pots (12cm or larger) because they have very strong root growth. Top growth might die back over winter, but the roots should survive if temperatures in the greenhouse do not fall below about -5°c. Plant them out in early summer of the following year. The plants will be somewhat hardier in their second winter. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Very easy, the cuttings root within a couple of weeks. Pot them up in fairly large pots and overwinter them in the greenhouse before planting out in early summer.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Succeeds in most fertile soils in a sunny position[8]. Tolerates temperatures down to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[5] but is not very hardy in Britain. It sometimes succeeds as a shrub outdoors in the mildest areas of the country[6] but is more usually cut to the ground by winter cold. It can, however, be grown at the foot of a warm sunny wall and be treated as a herbaceous perennial. As long as the roots are given a good mulch in autumn they should survive quite cold winters[1][6]. Alternatively, it is possible to grow the plant as an annual. If the seed is sown in early spring in a warm greenhouse and planted out after the last frosts it can fruit in its first year though yields will be lower than from plants grown as perennials[K]. A very ornamental plant[1], it has been cultivated for its edible fruit by the New Zealand Maoris[3]. It is a fast-growing but short-lived plant[10]. There is much confusion between this species and S. laciniatum. Some botanists unite the two under S. aviculare whilst others say that S. laciniatum is a tetraploid form of this species[15]. S. laciniatum is treated as a distinct species here.
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-19-558229-2
Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988-00-00 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00
Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-340-508302
Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-207-14383-8
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00
? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00
Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202