''Solanum linnaeanum'' is a nightshade

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

known as devil's apple and, in some places where it is introduced, apple of Sodom. The latter name is also used for other nightshades and entirely different plants elsewhere, in particular the poisonous

milkweed ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans ...

Calotropis procera ''Calotropis procera'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, Pakistan, tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina. The green fruits contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely b ...

''. This

poisonous plant Plants that produce toxins are referred to as poisonous plants. Plants that cause irritation on contact are also described as "poisonous". The toxins in poisonous plants affect herbivores, and deter them from consuming the plants. Plants cannot ...

bearing

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

-like fruit is native to many African countries

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, Zimbabwe and Mozambique,Species Fact Sheet, Queensland Government and is considered to be an

invasive species in Australia Invasive species in Australia are a serious threat to the native biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variabi ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, Fiji, New Caledonia, other Pacific Islands, the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia, and northern areas of Pakistan. When raw its fruits are green and look exactly like the Thai eggplant and when ripe they are yellow. In Ukambani eastern Kenya children in the villages in summer season use the poisonous yellow fruit as football, cautiously. Solbec Pharmaceuticals attempted to

develop Develop or DEVELOP may refer to: * ''Develop'' (magazine), a trade publication for the video game industry * ''Develop'' (Apple magazine), a technical magazine formerly published by Apple Computer * Develop (chess), moving a piece from its origina ...

Coramsine, a 1:1 mixture of the alkaloids

solamargine Solamargine is a cytotoxic chemical compound that occurs in plants of the family Solanaceae, such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. It has been also isolated from '' Solanum nigrum'' fungal endophyte ''Aspergillus flavus''. It is a glycoalk ...

and solasonine extracted from ''Solanum linnaeanum'', as a cancer drug. Preliminary clinical trials were initially promising,Millward ''et al.'' (2005) but the drug was ultimately unsuccessful. ''Solanum linnaeanum'' may be confused with '' Solanum cinereum'' (Narrawa burr) in Australia, the neotropical ''

Solanum capsicoides ''Solanum capsicoides'', the cockroach berry, known as ''polohauai'i'' in Polynesia, is a flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is native to eastern Brazil but naturalized in other tropical regions, where it sometimes becomes an invasive ...

'', or '' Solanum incanum'' in Africa.

Synonyms

Due to confusion about what species the original ''Solanum sodomeum'' of

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

referred to (most recently, it was identified as ''

Solanum ferox ''Solanum lasiocarpum'', synonym ''Solanum ferox'' L., otherwise known as Indian nightshade or hairy-fruited eggplant, is a plant that produces edible fruit. Its flowers are white and its fruits are pale yellow. ''S. lasiocarpum'' is found wild ...

''), the old description was discarded and the plant redescribed as currently understood. A new

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

honoring Linnaeus was chosen. A number of invalid taxa have thus become attached to the devil's apple:Solanaceae Source (2008) * ''Solanum astrophorum'' Jan ('' nomen nudum'') * ''Solanum hermannii'' Dunal * ''Solanum mccannii'' Santapau * ''Solanum sodomeum'' L. (disputed) * ''Solanum sodomeum var. hermannii'' (Dunal) Dunal * ''Solanum sodomeum var. mediterraneum'' Dunal * ''Solanum undatum'' Bouton ex Dunal (

preoccupied The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linn ...

) :''Solanum undatum'' as described by Walsh is '' Solanum lycocarpum''. :''Solanum undatum'' var. ''violaceum'', described by 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 Candolle ...

, is the original '' Solanum aethiopicum'' of Linnaeus. It is not clear whether the plant described by Drège as ''Solanum sodomeum'' was of this species. ''Solanum sodomeum'' by Russ based on Nees von Esenbeck is another ''nomen nudum''.

References

Footnotes

* (2004): Weeds Australia &ndash
Apple of Sodom
Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. *

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...

Declared plants list &ndash
Apple of Sodom (''Solanum linnaeanum'')
Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. * (2005): Phase I trial of coramsine (SBP002) in patients with advanced solid tumors. Abstract of presentation at 2005 ASCO Annual Meeting. '' J. Clin. Oncol.'' 23(16S): 310
HTML fulltext
* (2005): An Illustrated Guide to Common Weeds of New Zealand &ndash

Version of 2005-DEC-20. Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. * (2008)
''Solanum linnaeanum''
Version of July 2008. Retrieved 2008-SEP-25. *

br>Coramsine Manufacturing and Operations
Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. *

br>''Solanum linnaeanum'' Fact Sheet, Weeds of Australia, Queensland Government
Retrieved 2012-MAY-15. linnaeanum Flora of South Africa Commemoration of Carl Linnaeus {{Solanales-stub