Cockroach berry (Solanum capsicoides) is a plant species in the Solanaceae, low shrub, stems and leaves have thorns, white star flowers, round fruit, grows in forests, agricultural land and roadsides.
S. capsicoides has cylindrical stems, green or reddish in color, full of large, sharp spines 1 cm long. Leaves have stalks 7 cm long. The leaves are up to 15 cm long, have a sharp tip, are green, hairy, have a large vein in the middle and many small pinnate veins, both sides have large and sharp spines.
The flowers are star-shaped, 2.5 cm wide, have stalks, five white ears, a yellow center and are cone-shaped. The fruit is perfectly spherical, young is bright green with dark streaks and when ripe it is bright red.
This species grows in forests, agricultural land, roadsides, waterways, open and shady places, solitary or in small groups. The plant contains alkaloids, solasonine, solamargine and solanine, the steroid withanolide cilistol, capsisteroids A-F. Widely used to treat coughs, relieve pain, rheumatism, toothache and nose wounds.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Subfamily: Solanoideae
Tribe: Solaneae
Genus: Solanum L. in Sp. Pl.: 184 (1753)
Species: Solanum capsicoides All. in Auct. Syn. Meth. Stirp. Hort. Regii Taur.: 12 (1773)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Solanum aculeatissimum var. denudatum Dunal in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1): 244 (1852)
Solanum arrebenta Vell. in Fl. Flumin.: 89 (1829)
Solanum bodinieri H.Lév. & Vaniot in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 55: 206 (1908)
Solanum ciliare Willd. in Enum. Pl. Hort. Berol. 1: 237 (1809)
Solanum ciliatum Lam. in Tabl. Encycl. 2: 21 (1794)
Solanum ciliatum var. arenarium Dunal (1852)
Solanum ciliatum var. multiflorum Dunal (1852)
Solanum macowanii Fourc. in Trans. Roy. Soc. South Africa 21: 101 (1932)
Solanum pentapetaloides Roxb. in Hort. Bengal.: 17 (1814)
Solanum pentapetalum Schltdl. in Linnaea 25: 197 (1852)
Solanum sinuatifolium Vell. (1829)
Solanum sphaerocarpum Moric. in Pl. Nouv. Amér.: 31 (1837)
Solanum ungens Weinm. in Flora 4: 27 (1821)
Solanum xanthocarpum var. geoffrayi Bonati in H.Lecomte (ed.), Fl. Indo-Chine 4: 324 (1915)
PUBLICATIONS
Aubriot, X. & Knapp, S. (2022). A revision of the "spiny solanums" of Tropical Asia (Solanum, the Leptostemonum Clade, Solanaceae). PhytoKeys 198: 1-270.
Barooah, C. & Ahmed, I. (2014). Plant diversity of Assam. A checklist of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms: 1-599. Assam science technology and environment council, India.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2023). Flora of North America North of Mexico 14: 1-505. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
Hassler, M. & Muer, T. (2022). Flora Germanica: alle Farn- und Blütenpflanzen Deutschlands in Text und Bild 2: 865-1712. Verlag Regionalkultur, Uberstadt-Weiher.
Hợp, V.V. (2017). Thực Vật Chí Việt Nam. Flora of Vietnam 17: 1-324. Nhà xuất bản khoa học và kỹ thuật, Hà Nội.
Liogier, A.H. (1994). Flora de la Española 6: 1-517. Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo.
Lorence, D.H. & Wagnwe, W.L. (2020). Flora of the Marquesas Islands 2: 413-1135. National Tropical Botanic Garden, Smithsonian, DRPF.
Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
VERNACULAR NAME
Chinese (simplified): 牛茄子 - 刺茄
Chinese (traditional): 癲茄 - 牛茄子 - 刺茄
English: Cockroach Berry, Poisonous Tomato, Devil s apple, Love apple, Red soda apple, Soda apple
Guangdong: 牛茄子 - 癲茄
Hindi: रक्त चंदन Rakthachunda
Hong Kong: 牛茄子 - 癲茄
Indonesia: Takokak kori, Ceri kori, Lanteung, Terong kori, Buah kecoa
Japanese: キンギンナスビ - ニシキハリナスビ
Java: Ceri kori, Ceri tori, Takokak kori
Macao: 牛茄子 - 癲茄
Malayalam: രക്തചുണ്ഡ
Malaysia: Terong asam hutan, terong perat, terong puyoh
Portuguese: Melancia-da-praia
Slovak: ľuľok paprikovitý
Spanish: Tomatillo de Montaña
Sunda: Terong tenang
Swedish: Guldbärsskatta
Taiwan: 刺茄 - 牛茄子 - 癲茄
Tapanuli: Lanteung
Aryo Bandoro
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