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The lobed discolorous leaves, the mostly recurved prickles, and the large yellow fruit
make this plant unique among the African species of Solanum. It could perhaps be
confused with S. lichtensteini, but the latter small shrub is unarmed, or has small
prickles. It starts flowering from September to July, peaking in November and March,
and starts bearing fruit from April to January, peaking in June and November
(Welman, 2004).
Distribution
Solanum aculeastrum subsp. aculeastrum occurs from tropical Africa down to South
Africa. In southern Africa, this taxon is found in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-
Natal, Western and Eastern Cape and also in Swaziland (Welman, 2004).
Conservation status
Acocks (1988) regards this species as an undesirable plant which should be reduced
in number by appropriate veld management.
Medicinal uses
The fresh fruit is boiled to treat a wide variety of afflictions including cancer,
toothaches and ringworm (Wanyonyi et al., 2003).
Data from ethnobotanical survey
The roots of the plant are ground and mixed with other unknown plants and used as
an enema once a day for sores (Mathenjwa 2007, pers. comm.).
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