Common Name: Sticky Nightshade

General Information

Solanum sisymbriifolium is an erect, heavily armed, perennial plant with a lifestyle ranging from annual to short-lived perennial with more or less woody stems; it can grow from 40 - 150cm tall[]..
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is cultivated as a trap-crop to reduce pest levels in cultivated fields.
Solanum sisymbriifolium can be a serious weed of pastures in its native range, and attains high densities (much like thistles in the northern hemisphere) due to its unpalatibility. The plant has spread as a weed to many areas from the tropics to the temperate zone. In South Africa it is classified as a noxious weed[].It is likely that in the tropics and subtropics the plant can persist as a semi-perennial, while in the temperate zones it is an annual[].

Known Hazards

Although providing many well-known foods for people, including the potato, tomato, pepper and aubergine, most species in this genus also contain toxic alkaloids. Whilst these alkaloids can make the plant useful in treaing a range of medical conditions, they can also cause problems such as nausea, vomiting, salivation, drowsiness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weakness and respiratory depression[].
Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant[].

Botanical References

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Range

S. America - central Chile, northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia

Habitat

Naturalised in South-eastern N. America where it grows near sea ports in waste places and on ballast[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Solanum sisymbriifolium is native to drier regions in the tropical and sub-tropical zones. Plants are not very cold-hardy, though they can be grown as spring-sown annuals in temperate regions. In milder, almost frost-free climates they are perennial[, ].
Succeeds in most soils[].
In tropical climates the plant can flower and produce fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. The bright-red fruit is a spherical or depressed-spherical berry 12 - 16mm in diameter. The fruiting calyx is accrescent and wraps tightly around the developing fruit, opening out as the fruit ripens[]. There are 2 - 20 fruits per infructescence[].

Medicinal

An infusion of the leaves is used as a treatment for stomach pains[].
An infusion of the leaves and roots is used to treat infections[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Solanum sisymbriifolium is grown as a trap crop for potato cyst nematodes, a pest that can cause massive damage to potato crops in northern Europe. The young plants induce the eggs of the nematode to hatch but the standing crop is destroyed before the nematode is able to complete its life cycle. This procedure has been shown to reduce potato infestations by 50 - 80%[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.