Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Species: S. laciniatum
Binomial name: Solanum laciniatum
Common name: Poroporo, Large-flowered Kangaroo Apple (Australia)
This plant is poisonous
Visit Phil Bendle Collection:Poisonous Plants in New Zealand
Solanum laciniatum is a perennial hairless shrub to 3 m high and is a common urban weed in many parts of the country. Solanum laciniatum is indigenous to the North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. It is also present in southeastern Australia and Tasmania. It is naturalised in parts of China and Russia. It is found usually in disturbed habitats, shrublands, gullies, riversides, forested margins and in reverting pasture. It often appears following fires.
The stems are green to purple-brown and often striped. They are round to polygonal in cross-section with a ridge running down the stem from the base of the petiole. The surface is hairless with no prickles.
The leaves are 10-40 cm long, usually deeply dissected with up to 7 pointed lobes, although some remain unlobed. The trumpet-shaped flowers are purple, in a long-stalked cluster, with each flower being 3-5 cm across with 5 notched petals. The conspicuous drooping sprays of berries are yellow to orange-yellow, succulent, egg-shaped and 10-18 mm across. The stems are hairless, often striped and round to polygonal with a ridge running down the stem from each leaf.
The purple-blue 5 lobed dished shaped flowers are up to 50 mm wide and are on stalks 5-40 mm long.
The fruit is a yellow to orange egg-shaped, succulent berry. 14-22 mm x 12-18 mm.
The seeds are a reddish brown are 2-2.5 mm long.
A young Solanum laciniatum plant
The Poroporo flower with native bee
The green berries of the Poroporo just turning yellow
Ripe fruit
Variation of leaf shapes.
The underwside of a leaf.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
