Solanum aviculare, commonly called poroporo, kangaroo apple, pam plum, or New Zealand nightshade, is a soft-wooded shrub native to New Zealand and the east coast of Australia.
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 with acute corolla lobes, it has smaller seeds, up to long, and a different chromosome number 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 corolla lobes with rounded apices, larger seeds that are long, and a different chromosome number. 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 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 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 species include the rainforest plants Golden sassafras, black wattle, and lillypilly, and wet forest species brown barrel and turpentine.
Ecology
Bees are thought to pollinate the flowers.
Uses
The leaves and unripe fruits of S. aviculare contain the toxicalkaloidsolasodine. S. aviculare is cultivated in Russia and Hungary for the solasidine which is extracted and used as a base material for the production of steroidcontraceptives. The plant is also used as a rootstock for graftingeggplant. The orange berries are an edible form of bush tomato either fresh or dried. Australian Aboriginals used the fruit as a poultice on swollen joints. The plant contains a steroid which is important to the production of cortisone.
