Native Tomato

Alice Springs Flora •

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The Native Tomato, species Solanum ellipticum, is also commonly called the Bush Tomato, a name given to a number of similar looking plants in the genus Solanum. Extreme care should be taken, when identifying this species, as most of the species in this genus are poisonous, or require specific treatment first, such as S. coactiliferum, which is only edible after removal of the skin.

There are a number of cultivated species that are known as ‘bush tomato’ or ‘bush raisin’, which include Solanum esuriale, S. centrale and S. ellipticum.

A striking looking plant, that is usually at their best after rain, with purple mauve flowers and furry velvety leaves that are pale green or greyish. The Solanum ellipticum corolla is a more pentagonal shape, measuring 20–30 mm diameters across, bright yellow stamen/anthers that are about 4–5 mm long, with 1 to 7 flowers on the inflorescence. The Solanum centrale has a more star-shaped flower.

The leaves are ovate to elliptic, about 4–8 cm long and 2–3 cm wide, undulate and the petiole is 1–5 cm long.

The fruit are round that starts off green (may have purplish stripes) and then turns to yellow when ripe. The fruit of this species is edible but care should be taken as other Solanum species have poisonous or unpalatable fruit.

CAUTION
If you are not an expert at identifying the plant, ‘DO NOT’ eat the fruit, as some Solanum species that look similar, are toxic.

In the Solanum species, the unripe fruit contains the toxin solanine (the same as that found in green potatoes). Only a select few species of Solanum produce edible fruit when fully ripen. Others remain toxic.

There are many other Solanum species that resemble Solanum centrale, and only some of them produce edible fruit eg Solanum chippendalei and Solanum ellipticum. Some closely related species produce fruit that are toxic.

S. sturtianum is poisonous and can usually be recognised by the yellow or black dry brittle fruits.

For more information check out our Flora > Solanum > Bush Tomato.

See our info on Bush Tomato in Aboriginal Indigenous Symbols, Icons and Imagery.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Charophyta
Class: Equisetopsida
Subclass: Magnoliidae
Superorder: Asteranae
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Species: Solanum ellipticum

Footnote & References

Solanum ellipticum, Australian Native Plants Society (Australia), http://anpsa.org.au/s-eli.html#
Solanum ellipticum, eFlora SA, Government of South Australia, http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/efsa/lucid/Solanaceae/Solanum%20species/key/Australian%20Solanum%20species/Media/Html/Solanum_ellipticum.htm

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