Solanum pyracanthum (Porcupine tomato)

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Solanum pyracanthum Jacq.

Porcupine tomato, devil’s thorn

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Solanales	Potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, tobacco, petunias, sweet potatoes, morning glories, many others
Family	Solanaceae	Nightshade or potato family
Genus	Solanum	“Quieting,” for the narcotic effect of some species
Species	pyracanthum

About plant names...

The porcupine tomato is a native of Madagascar. It reminds me a little of a killer dandelion.

Identification: Plants are 1½-2′ (45-60 cm) high. Porcupine tomatoes are not found in the wild in North America. They look really weird. The leaves resemble those of dandelions, except that they are blue-green, and stems and leaves are festooned with deadly-looking orange spikes. Purple star-shaped flowers with five points and yellow centers are about ¾″ (1.9 cm) across. Even the fruit has thorns. It is doubtful that this plant can be mistaken for any other.

Online References:

Msuplants.com

Rob’s Plants

Wikimedia Commons

Luirig.altervista.org

BayImages.net

Aaron Sipf Photo

Solanum pyracanthum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

7/4/2009 · MacDonald-Zachos’, Milford, Pennsylvania · ≈ 2 × 1′ (59 × 39 cm)

Range: Zones 9-11:

About this map...