''Solanum viarum'', the tropical soda apple, is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

native to

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 ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

with a prickly stem and prickly leaves. The fruit is golf-ball-sized with the coloration of a

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...

. It is considered an

invasive species 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 ad ...

in the lower eastern coastal states of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and recently on the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoolg ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Synonyms

This species has several

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

, one of which is particularly ambiguous: * ''Solanum chloranthum'' DC. :''S. chloranthum'' as described by Eduard Friedrich Poeppig, Poeppig based on Otto Sendtner in Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, von Martius is now ''Solanum velutinum, S. velutinum'' :''S. chloranthum'' as described by Philipp Salzmann based on Michel Félix Dunal, Dunal in A. P. de Candolle, de Candolle is now ''Solanum agrarium, S. agrarium'' :''S. chloranthum'' as described by Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel, C.P.J. Sprengel is now ''Solanum arenarium, S. arenarium'' as described by Otto Sendtner * ''Solanum khasianum'' var. ''chatterjeeanum'' Sengupta & Sengupta :''S. khasianum'' proper is now ''Solanum aculeatissimum, S. aculeatissimum'' as described by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin. * ''Solanum viridiflorum'' Schltdl. :Not to be confused with ''S. acuminatum'' var. ''viridiflorum'', which is now ''Solanum caavurana, S. caavurana''.

Introduction and control

''Solanum viarum'' is native to Brazil and Argentina, and was first discovered in the United States in 1988, having probably been introduced through contaminated seed or other agricultural products. It crowds out native species and forage for livestock Its habitat is terrestrial, in fields, right-of-way, rights-of-way, and open forest. It is spread by livestock and wildlife, such as raccoons, deer, feral hogs, and birds feeding on fruits. It is classified as a noxious weed or plant in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, and Vermont, and in California and Oregon it’s a quarantine pest. It is a prohibited noxious weed in Arizona and Minnesota; Prohibited in Massachusetts; and a plant pest in South Carolina and Tennessee. It is also listed as a tier 1 noxious weed in Virginia, along with giant hogweed. Since its introduction into the U.S., tropical soda apple has spread rapidly, and currently infests an estimated one million acres of improved pastures, citrus groves, sugarcane fields, ditches, vegetable crops, sod farms, forestlands (oak Hammock (ecology), hammocks and cypress heads), natural areas, etc. in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. Although it can be a threat to a variety of habitat, it tends to be most problematic in pastures in the Mid South. It is controlled by triclopyr herbicide. ''Gratiana boliviana'', the tropical soda apple leaf beetle, has been used successfully as an agent of biological pest control to reduce the abundance of this plant in the United States, particularly in Florida.Medal, J. C. and J. P. Cuda. (2010)
Establishment and initial impact of the leaf-beetle ''Gratiana boliviana'' (Chrysomelidae), first biocontrol agent released against tropical soda apple in Florida.
''Florida Entomologist'' 93(4) 493-500.

Flowering

The mature fruits are smooth, round, yellow and ¾ to 1¼ inches in diameter with a leathery-skin surrounding a thin-layered, pale green, scented pulp and 180 to 420 flattened, reddish brown seeds. Each plant is capable of producing 200 or more fruit per year. Tropical Soda Apple (Solanum viarum) usually grows to 3–6 ft tall.

References

External links

Global Invasive Species Database

Species Profile - Tropical Soda Apple (''Solanum viarum'').
National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library. {{Taxonbar, from=Q311006 Solanum, viarum Flora of Brazil Flora of Argentina