''Solanum capsicoides'', the cockroach berry, known as ''polohauai'i'' in

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

in the family

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and o ...

. It is native to eastern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

but naturalized in other

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

regions, where it sometimes becomes an

invasive weed An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

Synonyms

This species had been included in '' S. aculeatissimum'' as

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''denudatum'' by Dunal (''Solanum denudatum'' of Bitter is '' S. humile'' as described by

Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolog ...

). It was also included in the

eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mo ...

(''S. melongena'') under its junior synonym ''S. trongum'' (as var. ''sinuato-pinnatifidum''), also by Dunal.Solanaceae Source (2006) In addition, the cockroach berry is sometimes referenced under the following obsolete names: * ''Solanum arrebenta'' Vell. * ''Solanum bodinieri'' H.Lév. & Vaniot * ''Solanum capsicoides'' Hort. Paris ex Lam. (preoccupied) * ''Solanum ciliare'' Willd. * ''Solanum ciliatum'' Lam. :''S. ciliatum'' of Blume from F.A.W. Miquel is an undetermined species of ''

Lycianthes ''Lycianthes'' is a genus of plants from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), found in both the Old World and the New World, but predominantly in the latter. It contains roughly 150 species, mostly from tropical America, with 35-40 species in ...

''. * ''Solanum ciliatum'' var. ''arenarium'' Dunal :''S. arenarium'' of Schur is '' S. villosum'' as described by

Philip Miller Philip Miller FRS (1691 – 18 December 1771) was an English botanist and gardener of Scottish descent. Miller was chief gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden for nearly 50 years from 1722, and wrote the highly popular ''The Gardeners Dicti ...

. :''S. arenarium'' of Otto Sendtner is a valid species * ''Solanum macowanii'' Fourc. * ''Solanum pentapetaloides'' Roxb. ex Hornem. :''S. pentapetaloides'' of Bojer from Dunal in

de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candoll ...

is '' S. imamense''. * ''Solanum pentapetalum'' Schltdl. * ''Solanum sinuatifolium'' Vell. * ''Solanum sphaerocarpum'' Moric.

References

Footnotes

* (2007)
''Solanum capsicoides''
Version of 2007-MAR-21. Retrieved 2007-SEP-15. * (2006)
''Solanum sessiliflorum''
Version of May 2006. Retrieved 2008-SEP-26. capsicoides Taxa named by Carlo Allioni {{Solanales-stub