''Solanum linnaeanum'' is a

nightshade The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orna ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

known as devil's apple and, in some places where it is introduced, apple of Sodom. The latter name is also used for other nightshades and entirely different plants elsewhere, in particular the poisonous

milkweed ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans ...

Calotropis procera ''Calotropis procera'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae that is native to North Africa, Pakistan,tropical Africa, Western Asia, South Asia, and Indochina. The green fruits contain a toxic milky sap that is extremely bi ...

''. This

poisonous plant Plants that produce toxins are referred to as poisonous plants. Plants that cause irritation on contact are also described as "poisonous". The toxins in poisonous plants affect herbivores, and deter them from consuming the plants. Plants cannot ...

bearing

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word , ...

-like fruit is native to many African countries

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, Zimbabwe and Mozambique,Species Fact Sheet, Queensland Government and is considered to be an

invasive species in Australia Invasive species in Australia are a serious threat to the native biodiversity, and an ongoing cost to Australian agriculture. Numerous species arrived with European maritime exploration and colonisation of Australia and steadily since then. ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

, Fiji, New Caledonia, other

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of ...

, the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia, and northern areas of Pakistan. When raw its fruits are green and look exactly like the Thai eggplant and when ripe they are yellow. In Ukambani eastern Kenya children in the villages in summer season use the poisonous yellow fruit as football, cautiously. Solbec Pharmaceuticals attempted to

develop Develop or DEVELOP may refer to: * ''Develop'' (magazine), a trade publication for the video game industry * ''Develop'' (Apple magazine), a technical magazine formerly published by Apple Computer * Develop (chess), moving a piece from its origina ...

Coramsine Coramsine (SBP002) was an experimental cancer drug that was evaluated in preliminary clinical trials, but was abandoned by Solbec Pharmaceuticals Ltd after the results were insufficient for them to raise investment capital to continue its developm ...

, a 1:1 mixture of the

alkaloids Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

solamargine Solamargine is a cytotoxic chemical compound that occurs in plants of the family Solanaceae, such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. It has been also isolated from ''Solanum nigrum'' fungal endophyte ''Aspergillus flavus''. It is a glycoalkaloi ...

and

solasonine Solasonine is a glycoalkaloid that is found in Solanum plants of the family Solanaceae. Solasonine is a poisonous chemical compound when used at high levels. It is a glycoside of solasodine. Glycoalkaloids such as Solasonine have various applicat ...

extracted from ''Solanum linnaeanum'', as a cancer drug. Preliminary clinical trials were initially promising,Millward ''et al.'' (2005) but the drug was ultimately unsuccessful. ''Solanum linnaeanum'' may be confused with '' Solanum cinereum'' (Narrawa burr) in Australia, the neotropical '' Solanum capsicoides'', or '' Solanum incanum'' in Africa.

Synonyms

Due to confusion about what species the original ''Solanum sodomeum'' of

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

referred to (most recently, it was identified as '' Solanum ferox''), the old description was discarded and the plant redescribed as currently understood. A new

taxon In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

honoring Linnaeus was chosen. A number of invalid taxa have thus become attached to the devil's apple:Solanaceae Source (2008) * ''Solanum astrophorum'' Jan (''

nomen nudum In taxonomy, a ''nomen nudum'' ('naked name'; plural ''nomina nuda'') is a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be one, but it has not been published with an adequate des ...

'') * ''Solanum hermannii'' Dunal * ''Solanum mccannii'' Santapau * ''Solanum sodomeum'' L. (disputed) * ''Solanum sodomeum var. hermannii'' (Dunal) Dunal * ''Solanum sodomeum var. mediterraneum'' Dunal * ''Solanum undatum'' Bouton ex Dunal (

preoccupied The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linn ...

) :''Solanum undatum'' as described by Walsh is ''

Solanum lycocarpum ''Solanum lycocarpum'', or wolf apple, is common in the Brazilian savanna, the Cerrado ecoregion. The plant is called ''lobeira'' ("wolf's plant") or ''fruta-do-lobo'' ("wolf's fruit") in Portuguese. The name "wolf apple" comes from the f ...

''. :''Solanum undatum'' var. ''violaceum'', described by Dunal in

de Candolle Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candoll ...

, is the original ''

Solanum aethiopicum ''Solanum aethiopicum'', the bitter tomato, Ethiopian eggplant, or nakati, is a fruiting plant of the genus ''Solanum'' mainly found in Asia and Tropical Africa. It is also known as Ethiopian nightshade, garden eggs, pumpkin-on-a-stick, and moc ...

'' of Linnaeus. It is not clear whether the plant described by Drège as ''Solanum sodomeum'' was of this species. ''Solanum sodomeum'' by Russ based on

Nees von Esenbeck Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (14 February 1776 – 16 March 1858) was a prolific German botanist, physician, zoologist, and natural philosopher. He was a contemporary of Goethe and was born within the lifetime of Linnaeus. He de ...

is another ''nomen nudum''.

References

Footnotes

* (2004): Weeds Australia &ndash
Apple of Sodom
Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. *

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Alec T ...

Declared plants list &ndash
Apple of Sodom (''Solanum linnaeanum'')
Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. * (2005): Phase I trial of coramsine (SBP002) in patients with advanced solid tumors. Abstract of presentation at 2005 ASCO Annual Meeting. '' J. Clin. Oncol.'' 23(16S): 310
HTML fulltext
* (2005): An Illustrated Guide to Common Weeds of New Zealand &ndash

Version of 2005-DEC-20. Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. * (2008)
''Solanum linnaeanum''
Version of July 2008. Retrieved 2008-SEP-25. *

br>Coramsine Manufacturing and Operations
Retrieved 2006-MAY-27. *

br>''Solanum linnaeanum'' Fact Sheet, Weeds of Australia, Queensland Government
Retrieved 2012-MAY-15. linnaeanum Flora of South Africa Commemoration of Carl Linnaeus {{Solanales-stub