Species

Solanum diflorum

Etymology

Solanum: Derivation uncertain - possibly from the Latin word sol, meaning "sun," referring to its status as a plant of the sun. Another possibility is that the root was solare, meaning "to soothe," or solamen, meaning "a comfort," which would refer to the soothing effects of the plant upon ingestion.

Common Name(s)

false Jerusalem cherry

Authority

Solanum diflorum Vell.

Family

Solanaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

SOLDIF

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Habitat

Terrestrial.

Features

Small unarmed shrub with stems to about 50 cm tall. The leaves are quite variable is size but can reach up to 14 x 8 cm, entire or with wavy margins. Hairs on young stems and very young leaves dense, becoming less scattered on older stems and leaves. Flowers are white and are solitary or in small clusters. The berry is scarlet or orange-red, round and up to about 1.5 cm diameter, containing a seed up to 3mm long.

Similar Taxa

Very similar to S. pseudocapsicum but can be distinguished by the hairs which are very dense on the young shoots and leaves but becoming scattered on older shoots and leaves. S. pseudocapsicum is almost always hairless.

Flowering

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Flower Colours

White

Year Naturalised

1958

Origin

Temperate eastern S. America

Reason For Introduction
Ornamental

Reproduction
Spreads by seed.

Seed
Seeds are produced.

Dispersal
birds

Tolerances
Appears to be quite shade tolerant and can establish under canopy.

Poisonous plant:
The red-orange berries are poisonous if eaten.

This page last updated on 5 Dec 2010