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Solanum aethiopicum 'Small Ruffled Red'

Family Name:	Solanaceae
Synonyms:	Solanum aethiopicum 'Red Ruffles', Solanum aethiopicum 'Hmong Red', Solanum aethiopicum 'Ruffled Red'
Common Name:	Scarlet Eggplant, Pumpkin Bush, Pumpkin Tree, Pumpkin-on-a-stick, Mini Pumpkins, Mock Tomato, 红茄

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Fruit or Vegetable

Herb or Spice

Ornamental Leaves

Herbaceous Plant

Solanum aethiopicum, view of ripe & maturing fruits

Solanum aethiopicum 'Small Ruffled Red', view of plant from top

Solanum aethiopicum 'Small Ruffled Red', closeup view of leaf & spines on veins

Solanum aethiopicum 'Small Ruffled Red', underside of leaf, showing spines on veins

Solanum aethiopicum 'Small Ruffled Red', view of dissected ripe fruit

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Infraspecific Epithet
Name Status (botanical)
Synonyms
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Herbaceous Plant
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic
Plant Shape	Shrubby
Maximum Height	0.9 m to 1.2 m
Maximum Plant Spread / Crown Width	0.6 m to 1.2 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution	Northern Thailand
Native Habitat	Terrestrial (Mountain)
Preferred Climate Zone	Sub-Tropical / Monsoonal

Description and Ethnobotany

Others - Plant Morphology	Herbaceous shrub, up to 1.2m height when planted in ground. Stems blackish-purple, with spines. Leaves bluish-green, margins coarsely toothed, veins purplish and spiny. Flowers purplish, insect-pollinated. Fruits are highly-ornamental berries with multiple longitudinal grooves, resembling miniature pumpkins (5cm across), produced in clusters, ripening from green to yellow-orange to bright red. Plant is suitable in pots or sunny flowerbed. Able to bear fruits around 100 days after being sown as seed. Species epithet 'aethiopicum' derived from Aethiops, African son of Vulcan (god of metalwork and fire in Greek mythology) and a reference to the African origin of the species form. 'Small Ruffled Red' is said to hail from northern Thailand, and thus also commonly known as Hmong Red Eggplant, after the Hmongs (a mountainous Thai tribe). Cultivated throughout the highlands in Asia for edible fruits.Related to other familar vegetables from the Solanum genus, such as Eggplant / Brinjal (Solanum melongena) and Potato (Solanum tuberosum).
Ethnobotanical Uses	Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits Food (Fruit or Vegetable) (Herb or Spice) Others: Fruits edible and used in Asian stir-fry, somewhat seedy with bitterish flavour, but reportedly good with Thai spices. Bitterness varies with amount of saponin content. Fruits usually harvested prior to full ripeness, before skin thickens. Fruits can be used fresh or dried in floral arrangements. Also reported to be medicinal.

Others - Plant Morphology

Herbaceous shrub, up to 1.2m height when planted in ground. Stems blackish-purple, with spines. Leaves bluish-green, margins coarsely toothed, veins purplish and spiny. Flowers purplish, insect-pollinated. Fruits are highly-ornamental berries with multiple longitudinal grooves, resembling miniature pumpkins (5cm across), produced in clusters, ripening from green to yellow-orange to bright red. Plant is suitable in pots or sunny flowerbed. Able to bear fruits around 100 days after being sown as seed. Species epithet 'aethiopicum' derived from Aethiops, African son of Vulcan (god of metalwork and fire in Greek mythology) and a reference to the African origin of the species form. 'Small Ruffled Red' is said to hail from northern Thailand, and thus also commonly known as Hmong Red Eggplant, after the Hmongs (a mountainous Thai tribe). Cultivated throughout the highlands in Asia for edible fruits.Related to other familar vegetables from the Solanum genus, such as Eggplant / Brinjal (Solanum melongena) and Potato (Solanum tuberosum).

Ethnobotanical Uses

Edible Plant Parts : Edible Fruits
Food (Fruit or Vegetable) (Herb or Spice)
Others: Fruits edible and used in Asian stir-fry, somewhat seedy with bitterish flavour, but reportedly good with Thai spices. Bitterness varies with amount of saponin content. Fruits usually harvested prior to full ripeness, before skin thickens. Fruits can be used fresh or dried in floral arrangements. Also reported to be medicinal.

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Foliage, Ornamental Fruits, Ornamental Stems
Landscape Uses	Flowerbed / Border, Focal Plant, Container Planting
Thematic Landscaping	Economic Garden

SGMP Treatment
Usage Hazard - Cons	Spines/Thorns - Stem/Branch, Spines/Thorns - Leaf, Toxic Upon Ingestion
Usage Hazard - Cons Remarks	Spines on stems and leaf veins. Parts of plant may be toxic.

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Rootzone Tolerance	Easy to Grow, Fertile Loamy Soils, Well-Drained Soils
Maintenance Requirements	Moderate
Propagation Method	Seed, Stem Cutting

Foliar

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Blue, Green, Purple
Mature Foliage Texture(s)	Velvety / Furry / Tomentose, Scaly, Spiny / Bristly / Stinging

Foliar Modification	Spine (axillary)
Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Whorled
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage (Oval)
Foliar Venation	Pinnate / Net
Foliar Margin	Dentate
Foliar Apex - Tip	Acuminate
Foliar Base	Rounded / Obtuse
Typical Foliar Area	Mesophyll ( 45cm2 - 182.25 cm2 )
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	4.5 (Shrub & Groundcover - Dicot)

Non - Foliar and Storage

Stem Type & Modification	Herbaceous
Root Type	Underground (Fibrous Root)

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality	Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)	Purple, White
Flower Symmetry	Radial

Flowering Habit

Polycarpic

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s)	Red
Fruit Classification	Simple Fruit
Fruit Type	Fleshy Fruit , Berry

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID	29126
Species ID	3435
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.