Solanum aviculare
Kangaroo Apple

Uses

Toxic parts

All green parts of the plant are poisonous^[1] and so is the unripe fruit^[2].

Edible uses

Notes

Fruit - raw or cooked^[3]^[2]. It must be thoroughly ripe because the unripe fruit is poisonous^[4]^[5]^[6]^[1]. It can be used as a sweet fruit or as a vegetable^[7]. Best harvested once it has fallen from the plant, the fruit will then have lost its unpleasant acidity^[8]. It tastes much worse than it looks, the fruit is sickly sweet and often bitter^[9]. The quality varies from plant to plant and even from year to year from the same plant^[9]. The fruit is up to 2cm long and contains a large number of flat seeds^[9].

Fruit

Unknown use

Material uses

In warmer climates than Britain this plant is often used as a hedge^[10].

There are no material uses listed for Solanum aviculare.

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

A source of steroids, much used in the pharmaceutical industry. The unripe berries are the richest source^[6]^[2].

Unknown part

Miscellany

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Hedge

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

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.

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Solanum aviculare. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.

Cultivation

Succeeds in most fertile soils in a sunny position^[11].

Tolerates temperatures down to at least -7°c in Australian gardens^[10] but is not very hardy in Britain. It sometimes succeeds as a shrub outdoors in the mildest areas of the country^[12] 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^[13]^[12]. 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^[13], it has been cultivated for its edible fruit by the New Zealand Maoris^[6]. It is a fast-growing but short-lived plant^[9].

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^[14]. S. laciniatum is treated as a distinct species here.

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Solanum aviculare. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Solanum aviculare.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

References

? ^1.0^1.1^1.2 Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria. ()
? ^2.0^2.1^2.2^2.3^2.4 Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton ISBN 0-340-508302 (1990-00-00)
? ^3.0^3.1 Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing (1976-00-00)
? ^4.0^4.1 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (1972-00-00)
? ^5.0^5.1 Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim (1959-00-00)
? ^6.0^6.1^6.2^6.3^6.4 Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-558229-2 (1991-00-00)
? ^7.0^7.1 Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable ISBN 0094579202 (1974-00-00)
? ^8.0^8.1 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)
? ^9.0^9.1^9.2^9.3^9.4 Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. ISBN 0-207-14383-8 (1989-00-00)
? ^10.0^10.1^10.2 Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) ISBN 0-7322-0021-0 (1988-00-00)
? Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 (1992-00-00)
? ^12.0^12.1 Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent (1990-00-00)
? ^13.0^13.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)
? ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press (1964-00-00)
? Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. (1961-00-00)
? Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)

"image:Solanum avicular Chatswood.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

[PFAFimport-154-1] ? ^1.0^1.1^1.2 Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria. ()

[PFAFimport-173-2] ? ^2.0^2.1^2.2^2.3^2.4 Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton ISBN 0-340-508302 (1990-00-00)

[PFAFimport-105-3] ? ^3.0^3.1 Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing (1976-00-00)

[PFAFimport-2-4] ? ^4.0^4.1 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (1972-00-00)

[PFAFimport-46-5] ? ^5.0^5.1 Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim (1959-00-00)

[PFAFimport-153-6] ? ^6.0^6.1^6.2^6.3^6.4 Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-558229-2 (1991-00-00)

[PFAFimport-61-7] ? ^7.0^7.1 Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable ISBN 0094579202 (1974-00-00)

[PFAFimport-183-8] ? ^8.0^8.1 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)

[PFAFimport-193-9] ? ^9.0^9.1^9.2^9.3^9.4 Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. ISBN 0-207-14383-8 (1989-00-00)

[PFAFimport-157-10] ? ^10.0^10.1^10.2 Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) ISBN 0-7322-0021-0 (1988-00-00)

[PFAFimport-182-11] ? Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 (1992-00-00)

[PFAFimport-166-12] ? ^12.0^12.1 Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent (1990-00-00)

[PFAFimport-1-13] ? ^13.0^13.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)

[PFAFimport-50-14] ? ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press (1964-00-00)

[PFAFimport-44-15] ? Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. (1961-00-00)

[PFAFimport-200-16] ? Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)

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Article is incomplete	Yes +
Article requires citations	No +
Article requires cleanup	Yes +
Belongs to family	Solanaceae +
Belongs to genus	Solanum +
Functions as	Hedge +
Has common name	Kangaroo Apple +
Has drought tolerance	Intolerant +
Has edible part	Fruit +
Has edible use	Unknown use +
Has fertility type	Insects +
Has flowers of type	Hermaphrodite +
Has hardiness zone	9 +
Has image	Solanum avicular Chatswood.jpg +
Has lifecycle type	Perennial +
Has mature height	1.8 +
Has medicinal part	Unknown part +
Has medicinal use	Miscellany +
Has primary image	Solanum avicular Chatswood.jpg +
Has search name	solanum aviculare + and x +
Has shade tolerance	No shade +
Has soil ph preference	Acid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
Has soil teclayture preference	Clay +
Has soil teloamyture preference	Loamy +
Has soil tesandyture preference	Sandy +
Has soil water retention preference	Well drained +
Has sun preference	Full sun +
Has taxonomy name	Solanum aviculare +
Has water requirements	moderate +
Is deciduous or evergreen	Evergreen +
Is herbaceous or woody	Woody +
Is taxonomy type	Species +
Tolerates nutritionally poor soil	No +
Uses mature size measurement unit	Meters +