Goat Bitter-apple

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Goat Bitter-apple
• Apple of Sodom
• Bitter Apple
• Bitter-Apple
• Goat Bitter Apple
• Goat-Apple
• Lion's Claw
• Poison-Apple
• soda-apple
• soda-apple nightshade
• Soda Apple

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Solanales and the family Solanaceae, it is specifically classified under the genus Solanum. As Solanum aculeastrum, it represents a distinct species within this complex botanical hierarchy.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific distribution across several key regions of the African continent. In West Tropical Africa, its presence is notably documented within Nigeria. Moving into West-Central Tropical Africa, the species can be found in Burundi and the Central African Republic. It also inhabits the territory of Cameroon within this same central region. Finally, its geographical range extends to the islands located in the Gulf of Guinea.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Solanum aculeastrum is characterized by its ability to inhabit diverse topographical environments across a broad altitudinal gradient. This species thrives within an elevational range that extends from a minimum of 275 m AMSL to a maximum of 1780 m AMSL. Such a wide vertical distribution suggests a high degree of ecological plasticity, allowing the plant to adapt to varying temperature regimes, atmospheric pressures, and moisture levels found between lowland and montane zones. This ability to colonize different elevations enables the plant to occupy various niches within its habitat, potentially interacting with a wide array of pollinators and soil microbial communities across its shifting environmental spectrum.

Elevational range max:

1780 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

275 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Solanum aculeastrum is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, allowing the plant to persist through multiple growing seasons. In terms of its structural life form, it is classified as a phanerophyte, specifically exhibiting traits consistent with both phanerophyte and nanophanerophyte categories, where its buds are borne on aerial shoots well above the ground level.

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Solanum aculeastrum is characterized by a woody growth form, primarily manifesting as a shrub. This plant is a terrestrial species that grows independently, neither acting as a parasite nor functioning as an epiphyte. In terms of stature, it is a self-supporting plant that ranges in height from a minimum of 1 meter to a maximum of approximately 6.096 meters, with a mean plant height of 6 meters.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

6.096074128 m

Plant height mean:

6 m

Plant height min:

1 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Solanum aculeastrum is characterized by a standard metabolic framework common to many members of the Solanaceae family, primarily driven by a C3 photosynthetic pathway. In this pathway, carbon dioxide is fixed directly from the atmosphere through the enzyme Rubisco during the Calvin cycle, occurring within the mesophyll cells without the specialized spatial separation seen in C4 plants or the temporal separation found in CAM plants. This C3 mechanism dictates the plant's water-use efficiency and carbon assimilation rates, making its metabolic performance highly dependent on ambient temperature and moisture availability. The plant's physiological processes are optimized to manage gas exchange and transpiration through regulated stomatal movements, balancing the intake of CO2 for biomass production against the risk of desiccation in its natural habitat.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Solanum aculeastrum is centered around its seed production, which exhibits specific morphological characteristics regarding mass. The seeds produced by this species are characterized by a mean seed mass of 0.007345 g. Within a given population, there is measurable variation in these dimensions, with individual seed masses ranging from a minimum of 0.00658 g to a maximum of 0.00811 g. This variation in seed mass is a key component of its reproductive output and dispersal potential.

Seed mass max:

0.00811 g

Seed mass mean:

0.007345 g

Seed mass min:

0.00658 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Solanum aculeastrum has 3 reported plant parts identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include fruit, leaf, root.

Fruit

1. Frontiers in pharmacology
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. International journal of microbiology

Leaf

1. Heliyon

Root

1. Scientific reports

Chemicals

Solanum aculeastrum has 5 reported phytochemicals identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Lauryl alcohol, Lupeol, MYRISTIC ACID, Nervonic acid, Undecyl alcohol.

Lauryl alcohol

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Lupeol

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

MYRISTIC ACID

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Nervonic acid

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Undecyl alcohol

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Activities

Solanum aculeastrum has 1 reported activities identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant.

Antioxidant

1. Heliyon

Conditions

Solanum aculeastrum has 11 reported investigations on conditions identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Aspergillus flavus, backache, cancer, fever, headache.

Aspergillus flavus

1. International journal of microbiology

Backache

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Cancer

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Fever

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Headache

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Leukemia

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Malaria

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Menstrual pain

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Pain

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Rheumatism

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Preparations

Solanum aculeastrum has 5 reported preparations identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include CH2Cl2/MeOH extracts from the berries, acetone extracts, aqueous and organic extracts of fruits, berries of Solanum aculeastrum (extracted with neat EtOH), extracts.

Ch2cl2/meoh extracts from the berries

1. Frontiers in pharmacology

Acetone extracts

1. Heliyon

Aqueous and organic extracts of fruits

1. International journal of microbiology

Berries of solanum aculeastrum (extracted with neat etoh)

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Extracts

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)