Kangaroo Apple

''Solanum aviculare'', commonly called poroporo or pōporo (New Zealand), bumurra (Dharug), kangaroo apple, pam plum (Australia), or New Zealand nightshade, is a soft-wooded shrub native to New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.

The Māori names ''pōroporo'' and ''pōporo'' come from a generic Proto-Polynesian term for any Solanum species and similar berry-bearing plants. Other names used for ''Solanum aviculare'' in the language include ''hōreto'' and ''peoi''.

Taxonomy and systematics

''Solanum aviculare'' was first described by German naturalist Georg Forster in 1786, from a collection in New Zealand.

''Solanum aviculare'' is similar to ''Solanum laciniatum'', with which it has been confused. Compared to ''S. laciniatum'', ''S. aviculare'' has smaller flowers (usually pale blue, sometimes dark purple, white or striped blue / white) with acute corolla lobes, it has smaller seeds, up to long, and a different chromosome number (2n = 46) and is found on the Kermadec Islands, North Island, northern South Island and Chatham Islands of New Zealand, while ''S. laciniatum'' has much larger, rotate, darker purple flowers with broad, flared (ruffled) corolla lobes with rounded apices, larger seeds that are long, and a different chromosome number (2n = 92). It is mostly found south of Auckland and is very common in the southern North Island, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. ''Solanum laciniatum'' is the most commonly found species overseas where it is often incorrectly called ''S. aviculare''.

In addition to this two varieties of ''S. aviculare'' have been named. ''S. aviculare var. albiflorum'' is a minor genetic sport of ''S. aviculare'' and is generally not regarded as distinct but ''S. aviculare var. latifolium'' has a different growth habit, much broader, usually entire leaves and larger flowers, and in New Zealand (where it is endemic) it is still accepted as distinct by many botanists.

* ''Solanum aviculare'' var. ''albiflorum'' Cheeseman
* ''Solanum aviculare'' var. ''latifolium'' G.T.S.Baylis

Description

''Solanum aviculare'' is an upright shrub that can grow up to tall. The leaves are long, lobed or entire, with any lobes being long.

Its hermaphroditic (having both male and female organs) flowers are white, mauve to blue-violet, wide, and are followed by berries wide that are poisonous while green, but edible once orange.

Distribution and habitat

''Solanum aviculare'' grows in rainforests, wet forests and rainforest margins on clay soils. Associated Australian species include the rainforest plants Golden sassafras (''Doryphora sassafras''), black wattle (''Acacia melanoxylon''), and lillypilly (''Acmena smithii''), and wet forest species brown barrel ('' Eucalyptus fastigata'') and turpentine ('' Syncarpia glomulifera'').

Ecology

Bees are thought to pollinate the flowers.

Uses

The leaves and unripe fruits of ''S. aviculare'' contain the toxic alkaloid solasodine. ''S. aviculare'' is cultivated in Russia and Hungary for the solasidine which is extracted and used as a base material for the production of steroid contraceptives.

The plant is also used as a rootstock for grafting eggplant.

Australian Aborigines used the fruit as a poultice on swollen joints. The plant contains a steroid which is important to the production of cortisone.

See also

* Solanum laciniatum

References

External links

Plants of New Zealand
''S. aviculare''

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1295038

aviculare
Edible Solanaceae
Solanales of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of the North Island
Flora of Norfolk Island
Flora of Queensland
Flora of South Australia
Flora of Victoria (Australia)
Eudicots of Western Australia
Crops originating from Australia
Crops originating from New Zealand
Plants described in 1786