''Solanum quitoense'', known as naranjilla (, "little

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower * Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...

") in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

, Costa Rica, and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and as lulo (, from Quechua) in Colombia, is a

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

from northwestern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. The specific name for this species of

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 ...

means "from

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha ...

." The lulo plant has large elongated heart- or oval-shaped leaves up to 45 cm in length. The leaves and stems of the plant are covered in short purple hairs. Naranjilla are delicate plants and must be protected from strong winds and direct sunlight. They grow best in partial shade. The fruit has a citrus flavour, sometimes described as a combination of

rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of '' Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The whole plant – a herbaceous perennial growing from short, thick r ...

and lime. The juice of the naranjilla is green and is often used as a juice or for a drink called lulada.

Classification

Within the genus ''

Solanum ''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanacea ...

'', ''S. quitoense'' is a part of the subgenus ''Leptostemonum''. Within this clade, ''S. quitoense'' belongs to the section ''Lasiocarpa''. Other species within ''Lasiocarpa'' include ''S. candidum'', ''S. hyporhodium'', ''S. lasiocarpum'', ''S. felinum'', ''S. psudolulo'', ''S. repandum'' and ''S. vestissimum''. (2005)
''Solanum quitoense''
Version of December 2005. Retrieved 2008-SEP-25. Naranjilla new leaf

''Solanum quitoense'' resembles and can be confused with certain other species of ''Solanum'' (some closely related to ''S. quitoense'' and others less so), including ''S. hirtum'', ''S. myiacanthum'', ''S. pectinatum'', '' S. sessiliflorum'' and ''S. verrogeneum''. Furthermore, ''S. quitoense'' is somewhat variable in appearance, making identification challenging: at least three varietals (with spines, without spines, and a third variety known as ''baquicha,'' which features red-ripening fruits and smooth leaves) are known to occur. One characteristic that is unique to ''S. quitoense'' is the ring of green flesh within the ripe fruit. The only related fruit to have green flesh is a cultivated variant of '' S. lasiocarpum''. The new growth of ''Solanum quitoense'' is densely covered in protective

trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a pl ...

s, which vary in color from purple to white. Image:stalk 1.jpg, New leaf Image:stalk 2.jpg, Bud Image:stalk 3.jpg, Bud and young leaf

Agriculture

The naranjilla has been proposed as a new

flavoring A flavoring (or flavouring), also known as flavor (or flavour) or flavorant, is a food additive used to improve the taste or smell of food. It changes the perceptual impression of food as determined primarily by the chemoreceptors of the gusta ...

for the global food industry, but it fares poorly in large-scale cultivation, presenting an obstacle to its wider use. Its fruit, like tomatoes, is easily damaged when ripe, so is usually harvested unripe. The fruits are found at markets. It is common for locals to make beverages by adding sugar and water to the freshly squeezed fruits.Óscar Acosta, Ana M. Pérez, Fabrice Vaillant (2009
Chemical characterization, antioxidant properties, and volatile constituents of naranjilla (''Solanum quitoense'' Lam.) cultivated in Costa Rica
. ''Archivos Latinoamericana de Nutrición'' 59(1): 88-94

Pests and diseases

''Solanum quitoense'' has limited potential in large-scale agriculture due to the plant's extreme vulnerability to pests and diseases when grown as a crop. One common type of

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable d ...

is caused by the root-knot nematode. The ripe fruit is very delicate, and is frequently attacked by fungus, especially when mechanically damaged, so it is often picked unripe to avoid rotting. ''S. quitoense''-specific vascular wilt is caused by a fungus and leads to flaccid fruits and defoliation. Hybrids are an increasingly popular solution to the nematode pest problem. ''S. quitoense'' has been hybridized with other plants, most commonly with '' S. sessiliflorum'', a plant with similar phenotypic traits. The leaves, flowers and fruits of ''S. sessiliflorum'' are similar in form to ''S. quitoense'', but the fruits of the former are larger and yellow; the resulting hybrids have fruits with yellowish fruit pulp.

Nutrition

Contents of the fruit varies from region to region. These statistics are based on

Costa Rican Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the n ...

fruit: These statistics are based on fruits found in Colombia and

:Naranjilla
/ref>

References

External links

PLANTS National Database Reports and Topics
SOQU *

by Morton, Julia F. 1987 {{Taxonbar, from=Q795069 quitoense Tropical fruit Edible Solanaceae Crops originating from the Americas Crops originating from Ecuador Crops originating from Colombia Crops originating from Peru