Solanum linnaeanum

Solanum linnaeanum
Purple flowers and ripe yellow fruit stand out against the green foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Solanum
Species:	S. linnaeanum
Binomial name
Solanum linnaeanum Hepper & P.-M.L.Jaeger
Synonyms
See text

Unripe fruit and thorns

Solanum linnaeanum is a nightshade species 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.

This poisonous plant bearing tomato-like fruit is native to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and is considered to be an invasive species in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji, New Caledonia, and other Pacific Islands.

Solbec Pharmaceuticals attempted to develop Coramsine, a 1:1 mixture of the alkaloids solamargine and solasonine extracted from Solanum linnaeanum, as a cancer drug. Preliminary clinical trials were initially promising, 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 referred to, the old description was discarded and the plant redescribed as currently understood. A new taxon honoring Linnaeus was chosen. A number of invalid taxa have thus become attached to the devil's apple:

• Solanum astrophorum Jan (nomen nudum)
• Solanum hermannii Dunal
• Solanum mccannii Santapau
• Solanum sodomeum L.
• Solanum sodomeum var. hermannii (Dunal) Dunal
• Solanum sodomeum var. mediterraneum Dunal
• Solanum undatum Bouton ex Dunal (preoccupied)

Solanum undatum as described by Walsh is Solanum lycocarpum.

Solanum undatum var. violaceum, described by Dunal in de Candolle, is the original Solanum aethiopicum 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 is another nomen nudum. Furthermore, the common name "Apple of Sodom" is also applied to the dogbane species Calotropis procera.

Footnotes

• Australian Weeds Committee (AWC) (2004): Weeds Australia – Apple of Sodom. Retrieved 2006-MAY-27.
• Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAF-WA) [2006]: Declared plants list – Apple of Sodom (Solanum linnaeanum). Retrieved 2006-MAY-27.
• Millward, M.; Powell, A.; Tyson, S.; Daly, P.; Ferguson, R. & Carter, S. (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): 3105 HTML fulltext
• Roy, Bruce; Popay, Ian; Champion, Paul; James, Trevor & Rahman, Anis (2005): An Illustrated Guide to Common Weeds of New Zealand – Solanum linnaeanum / apple of Sodom. Version of 2005-DEC-20. Retrieved 2006-MAY-27.
• Solanaceae Source (2008): Solanum linnaeanum. Version of July 2008. Retrieved 2008-SEP-25.
• Solbec Pharmaceuticals (SP) [2006]: Coramsine Manufacturing and Operations. Retrieved 2006-MAY-27.
• Queensland Government [2006]: Solanum linnaeanum Fact Sheet, Weeds of Australia, Queensland Government. Retrieved 2012-MAY-15.