Taxon:  Solanum incanum L.



Summary
Genus:
Solanum
Subgenus:
Leptostemonum
Section:
Melongena
Family:
Solanaceae
Subfamily:
Solanoideae
Tribe:
Solaneae
Nomen number:
101488
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 1:188.  1753
Verified:
11/23/2010 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
3 (2  active, 2  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Solanum unguiculatum A. Rich.

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  2. Boulos, L. 1995. Flora of Egypt checklist.
  3. Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
  4. Cufodontis, G. 1953-1972. Enumeratio plantarum aethiopiae: Spermatophyta.
  5. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  7. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  8. Hepper, F. N. & P. M. L. Jaeger. 1985. The typification of six Linnaean names in Solanum. Kew Bull. 40:387-391. Note: typification
  9. Humbert, J.-H., ed. 1936-. Flore de Madagascar et des Comores.
  10. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  11. Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa
  12. Knapp, S. et al. 2013. Wild relatives of the eggplant (Solanum melongena L.: Solanaceae): new understanding of species names in a complex group. PLoS One 8(2):e57039[7-9].
  13. Lester, R. N. & S. M. Z. Hasan. 1990. The distinction between Solanum incanum L. and Solanum insanum L. (Solanaceae). Taxon 39:521-523.
  14. Levin, R. A. et al. 2006. Phylogenetic relationships among the "spiny solanums" Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum, Solanaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 93:157-169.
  15. Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
  16. Missouri Botanical Garden. W³Tropicos (on-line resource).
  17. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
  18. PBI Solanum Project. Solanaceae source: a global taxonomic resource for the nightshade family (on-line resource).
  19. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  20. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
  21. Syfert, M. M. et al. 2016. Crop wild relatives of the brinjal eggplant (Solanum melongena): Poorly represented in genebanks and many species at risk of extinction. Amer. J. Bot. 103:1-17.
  22. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  23. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  24. Weese, T. L. & L. Bohs. 2010. Eggplant origins: out of Africa, into the Orient. Taxon 59:47-56.
  25. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  26. Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishbitter-apple  1Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa
Englishthorn-apple  1Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
Arabicshewk al'eqerb  2Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSomalia  Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaEgypt  Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBenin  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBurkina Faso  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaMali  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNiger  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaOman  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaSaudi Arabia  Lester, R. N. & S. M. Z. Hasan. 1991. Origin and domestication of the Brinjal egg-plant, Solanum melongena, from S. incanum, in Africa and Asia. In: Hawkes, J. G. et al., eds., Solanaceae III: taxonomy, chemistry, evolution 369-387.
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaAfghanistan  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIran w.Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIraq  Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIsrael  Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaJordan  Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  Lester, R. N. & S. M. Z. Hasan. 1991. Origin and domestication of the Brinjal egg-plant, Solanum melongena, from S. incanum, in Africa and Asia. In: Hawkes, J. G. et al., eds., Solanaceae III: taxonomy, chemistry, evolution 369-387.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  Lester, R. N. & S. M. Z. Hasan. 1991. Origin and domestication of the Brinjal egg-plant, Solanum melongena, from S. incanum, in Africa and Asia. In: Hawkes, J. G. et al., eds., Solanaceae III: taxonomy, chemistry, evolution 369-387.
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  Lester, R. N. & S. M. Z. Hasan. 1991. Origin and domestication of the Brinjal egg-plant, Solanum melongena, from S. incanum, in Africa and Asia. In: Hawkes, J. G. et al., eds., Solanaceae III: taxonomy, chemistry, evolution 369-387.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Native
Africa
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Egypt
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
  • WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan, Iran (w.), Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, Pakistan

Reference(s)
  1. Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
  2. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  3. Lester, R. N. & S. M. Z. Hasan. 1991. Origin and domestication of the Brinjal egg-plant, Solanum melongena, from S. incanum, in Africa and Asia. In: Hawkes, J. G. et al., eds., Solanaceae III: taxonomy, chemistry, evolution 369-387.
  4. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
  5. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  6. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  7. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  8. Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Vertebrate poisonsmammals Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=101488. Accessed 12 May 2026.