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Dwarf Tamarillo
Solanum abutiloides
Solanum abutiloides is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae. It is endemic to Argentina and Bolivia, and thrives as a weedy plant in rocky land, on stream banks, and scrub land between 900–3600 metres (3000–11800 ft) in elevation. It is also known as dwarf tamarillo, due to superficial similarities with Solanum betaceum. Solanum abutiloides is also sometimes known by the archaic name Cyphomandra abutiloides.
Solanum abutiloides quickly matures into a shrub or small tree up to 9 m (30 ft) tall, though usually far smaller. The heart-shaped leaves have a distinctive and pungent smell.
From the article Solanum abutiloides on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
The native range of Solanum abutiloides includes central and southern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. It has been found in the Canary Islands, and at a single location in Morocco, possibly as a result of seed deposition by fruit-eating birds migrating transoceanically. It was introduced into Austria and Australia.
Wikipedia: “Distribution and habitat”
At the table
The fruits are edible, though Solanum abutiloides is rare in cultivation, and plants have not been bred for quality of flavor. Therefore, the fruit can often have an unpredictable or unpleasant flavor, and Solanum abutiloides is most often cultivated as an ornamental plant, as the clusters of ripe fruit are very decorative. Similar to Solanaceae, pests like aphids, spider mites, and white flies are attracted to the trees.
Wikipedia: “Uses”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Solanum abutiloides in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 430914.