African nightshade (Solanum scabrum)

52African nightshade Field production_smweb

Common Names
African nightshade, black nightshade, garden huckleberry (En); morelle de Guinée, brède martin, crève-chien, morelle noire (Fr); hierba mora, llague, pintamora, tomatitos (Sp); 木龍葵 (Cn)

Plant Distribution
East, South and Southeast Asia, tropical Africa, South Pacific, North America, the Caribbean

Related Species
S. nigrum, S. aethiopicum Shum group

Edible Parts
Young shoots and leaves are blanched, boiled or stir-fried, cooked with other vegetables or added to soups. Berries are bitter in taste and usually not eaten.

Health values
Beta-carotene: extremely high in leaves; vitamin E: medium; folic acid: medium to high; ascorbic acid: high to extremely high; calcium: medium; iron: medium; protein: 2.0-4.0%. Leaves contain also some alkaloids.

Read more: African nightshade, in Discovering Indigenous Treasures: Promising Indigenous Vegetables from Around the World. 2009. AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center