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Garden Word of the Day

Devil's Apple

4/26/2017

4 Comments

 
Devil’s apple is a poisonous weed from Africa.


Called Devil’s apple because of its toxic yellow fruit, Solanum linnaeanum made an appearance under my almond tree. When I went to pull it out, I discovered its substantial thorns.


Considered an invasive in Australia, Devil’s apple has been getting a lot of press lately. Dramatic statements declare that Solanum linnaeanum can cure skin cancer. And I could not find a single piece of scientific evidence to back up those claims. Hmmm. Yet another snake oil salesman… Why do we tolerate all those untruths?


The truth about Devil’s apple is interesting enough on its own, so let’s learn what we can.
Picture
Photo of Devil's apple by Kate Russell
Picture
Photo of Solanum linnaeanum by Kate Russell




Devil’s apple is a member of the nightshade family, along with potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. These shrubs can reach 6 feet in height, and those spines can be 1/2 an inch long. I sure wouldn’t want to fall into one of those bushes!


Also known as apple of Sodom, Afghan thistle, and Dead Sea apple, this weed invades pastures, agricultural fields, roadsides, and now, my yard.


The yellow berries start out as a star-shaped, 5-petaled purple flower, the way most nightshades do, but then they start looking more like a small apple, hence the name. The fruit changes from white or green to bright yellow and it contains toxic alkaloids. DO NOT EAT THEM!!!


Devil’s apple is also host to the Malaysian Fruit Fly, which earns it a listing in the California Code of Regulations, as part of the state’s emergency eradication program. Other than that reference, I have not been able to find any mention of the plant in California, so I have submitted an information request to local Master Gardeners and UC Davis to see if this is a new weed in the Bay Area. I’ll keep you posted.


For the time being, if you see one of these in your garden or landscape, dig it out.
4 Comments
Shawna Gannon Walker
10/11/2018 06:48:41 pm

Hi,
I'm curious to know if you learned anything more about this plant in California. I'm interested in it, because I've learned that people are using it in DIY cancer treatments.
Thank you,
Shawna G W

Reply
Kate Russell
10/12/2018 08:45:17 am

Hi, Shawna.

I found a very informative study on the use of Devil's Apple extracts as a cancer treatment at http://file.scirp.org/Html/20-8901214_16648.htm

Keep in mind that these extracts are not DIY, homemade recipes. These are chemicals extracted in a laboratory and processed in very specific ways. I would definitely not try this at home.

Reply
Kuldeep
1/14/2019 06:05:25 am

Can we graft a tomato plant on this plant (devil's apple)?

Reply
Kate Russell link
1/16/2019 02:20:31 pm

Yes, you can graft a tomato plant to Devil's Apple rootstock. The question you need to ask yourself is why you would want to do this. Devil's Apple is invasive and difficult to control once established.

There are rumors going around that Devil's Apple is resistant to nematodes and tobamoviruses (TMV, ToMV and PMMV), but this is not true.

You can read the research report here: https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF03356178?fbclid=IwAR1eCKGKpSGvJOugOLDbeuSCv4aUliQmc-QqWWIi1ZtEDsOzj-6sDl4KXnc

That being said, thank you for inspiring me to write about grafting!

Reply



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