Milk eggplant, also known as golden fruit, five-finger eggplant fruit colorful fruit shape beautiful and cultivated for reward

The golden fruit of milk eggplant (Solanaceae) generally refers to milk eggplant

Solanum mammosum L., Also known as golden fruit, five-fingered eggplant, etc.

Erect herb. ca. 1 m tall, stems pubescent and compressed spiny, branchlets villous with nodes.

Leaves ovate, both surfaces densely bright-white very long villous and pubescent; lateral veins ca. as many as lobes, flat above, slightly convex below, with loess-colored slender prickles.

Scorpion-tail-like axillary explants, often borne at the outer base of axillary buds, with indumentum similar to branches and leaves.

Pedicel very short, spineless.

Calyx nearly shallowly cup-shaped, outer coat very long noded villous and glandular hairy, corolla hibiscus, tube concealed in calyx;

Stamens 5, several equal, anthers oblong-conical, base rounded, upper part elongated, terminal yellow, apical pores upward; ovary glabrous, ovate-acuminate.

Berry inverted pear-shaped, outside khaki, white inside, with 5 papillae, seeds black-brown. Flowering and fruiting period summer and autumn.

Native to America; now Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan in China are introduced successfully. The fruit is beautiful in shape and cultivated for appreciation. The plant contains solanine.

morphological characteristics

Erect herb. ca. 1 m tall, stems pubescent and compressed spiny, branchlets nodular villous, glandular hairy and compressed spiny, spiny wax yellow, shiny, base lilac, 3-5 mm wide, apex pointed, subulate, straight or slightly curved, 4-12 mm long.

Leaves ovate, 5-10 cm long, several as wide as long, often 5-lobed, sometimes 3-7-lobed, lobes shallowly undulate, apex acute or obtuse, base retuse, both surfaces densely covered with bright white very long villous and pubescent;

lateral veins ca. equal in number to lobes, flat above, slightly convex below, with loess elongated prickles, prickles 8-20 mm long, base flat, sulcate, apex subulate; petiole 2.5-8 cm long, upper surface sulcate, villous with nodes, glandular hairs and prickles.

Scorpion-tail axillary explants, often borne at the outer base of axillary buds, with indumentum similar to branches and leaves, usually 3-4-flowered, racemes very short, spineless, pedicels ca. 5-10 mm.

Calyx subshallowly cup-shaped, outer coat very long noded villous and glandular hairy, 5-parted, lobes ovate-lanceolate, tip acuminate, 5-6 mm long, corolla hibiscus, tube concealed in calyx, ca. 1.5 mm long, limb 25-32 mm in diam., 5-parted, lobes oblong-linear, 20-22 mm long, 4 mm wide, tip acuminate to acuminate, outer villous, inner surface glabrous, margin membranous ciliate;

Stamens 5, several equal, ca. 1.1 cm long, filaments ca. 1 mm long, anthers oblong-conical, base rounded, upper part elongated, tip yellow, apical pores upward; ovary glabrous, ovate-acuminate, ca. 5 mm long, style long. 3 mm, stigma green, shallowly 2-lobed.

Berry obpyriform, 4.5-5.5 cm long, yellow outside, white inside, with 5 papillae, seeds black-brown, suborbicular compressed, ca. 3 mm in diam. Flowering and fruiting period summer and autumn.

growth habit

Milk eggplant likes warm, humid and sunny environment, suitable temperature for growth is 15-25℃, there is a certain degree of cold resistance, afraid of waterlogging and drought. Resistance to 3-4℃ low temperature. Suitable fertile, loose and well drained sandy loam. Winter temperatures should not be lower than 12℃.

producing area distributings

Native to America; now Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan in China are introduced successfully.

reproductive mode

The milk eggplant is mainly propagated by sowing. When the berries are ripe, remove the seeds and store them dry.

Sowing in March in the south and April in the north, with a depth of 0.3-0.4 cm, often keeping the pot soil moist.

After germination, the seedlings should be shaded in the early stage, and then gradually see more sunshine, and strengthen fertilizer and water management. Seedling height of about 15 cm can be planted.

cultivation techniques

soil

Lac solani grows well in weak acid sandy loam with deep, loose and fertile soil layer and good drainage, but it can also grow in neutral and weak alkaline soil.

fertilization

When changing pots, apply sufficient base fertilizer, 50g hoof angle per pot, apply nitrogen fertilizer at seedling stage, apply liquid fertilizer once every half month, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer after flowering and fruit setting, or spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution on leaf surface, so that the fruit is strong and the seeds are full.

watering

Milk eggplant like wet, avoid drought, ponding, watering once or twice a day in summer, prevent dry leaves, affect growth, flowering soil too wet easy to drop flowers, reduce the fruit rate, fruit maturity soil should be wet, prevent fruit dry yellow no light. High temperature dry, easy to appear only flowering not fruit phenomenon.

pruning

When the plant grows to 30-40 cm high, it should be picked 2-3 times to promote multiple branches and form a plump and symmetrical plant shape, which is also conducive to flowering.

Potted plants retain 3-4 branches, ground plants retain 5-6 branches, and redundant axillary buds and branches are removed.

fruit thinning

In order to make tall plants fully dwarfed, can be in its stems and branches grow to 50 cm high when picking off the terminal bud, so that the plant is no longer tall, let the lateral bud growth.

When the lateral buds grow to an appropriate height, spray with paclobutrazol to inhibit the height and promote flowering until the fruit is ripe.

After the fruit, if the plant has too many fruits, it should be erected to prevent breaking and lodging, and the fruit can be properly thinned without affecting the viewing, so as to ensure that the fruit is large.

main value

ornamental

The fruit is beautiful in shape and cultivated for appreciation. The fruit shape of milk eggplant is peculiar, the fruit viewing period reaches half a year, and the fruit color is bright.

You can also use milk eggplant as flower arrangement material, such as milk eggplant and red chrysanthemum as the main flower, with fern leaves, cattail grass, showing nature, harmony and hope.

If you take milk eggplant, papilla as the main material, with red wood branches, cycad leaves, bottle insertion, more dignified and elegant, understand the aura of oriental art.

medicinal

Used medicinally, this plant contains solanine.

The main effect of the medicine is to clear away heat and toxic materials, and it is mainly used to treat heart and stomach pain, lymph tuberculosis, axillary sores, carbuncle, erysipelas, scrofula and other diseases.

Generally speaking, only sick people need to eat, can not be eaten as a large number of ordinary fruits, only suitable for external use.