Common name: Potato tree, Giant Star Potato Tree
Botanical name: Solanum macranthum Family: Solanaceae (potato family)
Native to Brazil, Potato tree is a small tree widely cultivated in the tropics.
It is not actually potato, but belongs to the potato family.
This plant grows quickly into a bushy tree of 15 feet in height and 15' wide.
Grown for its ornamental purpose. The leaves are large, lobed and prickly.
Flowers are fragrant and change their color from white to pink to lavender. It
requires a rich soil for good growth. Suited for planting singly. Propagated
by seeds. The Solanum family is very large, consisting of nearly 1500 species
ranging from vegetables like the potato and aubergine, to ornamental shrubs
and climbers, plus a number of weeds. Some, as their common name Nightshade
suggests, are toxic and need careful handling.
| Photographed in Garden of Five
Senses, Delhi |
|
ntroduced
