Healing-leaf tree, giant bitter-apple

Description:

Much-branched shrub or small tree up to 6 m high. Branchlets with white, woolly hairs and stout, straight prickles up to 5 mm long. Leaves elliptic, margin entire, large, up to 250 x 90 mm, softly textured, dark green, glabrescent, becoming hairless/smooth above, velvety whitish/silver below; pedicels reflexed in flower, erect in fruit; large bract-like leaves are often present in the axils of the stem leaves. Flowers in many-flowered, branched, dense, terminal corymbs, faintly scented; corolla white, mauve to blue or purple, 15 mm in diameter, anthers yellow.Solanum giganteum Fruit a smooth, globose berry, 5-10 mm in diameter, green, ripening through orange to bright red, finally purplish red, remaining on the plant for at least six months. Flowers and fruit are often found on the same plant, even in the same inflorescence. Chromosome number: 2n = 24. S. giganteum shows some resemblance to the declared invasive weed, S. mauritianum or bug-tree (luisboom) which is a native of South America. However, that species has no prickles, has yellow fruit, and is very densely velvety or felty hairy in almost all parts.

Habitat:

This mostly montane species is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara, from the Cameroon to Ethiopia and down from eastern Africa to the Cape. It is also indigenous to southern India. In South Africa it has been recorded from all provinces except the Free State and Northern Cape. It also occurs in Swaziland but not in Namibia, Botswana or Lesotho. It is sometimes cultivated in Botanical Gardens and elsewhere, but is not known to become naturalized. In Australia it is known as African holly. Habitat: The healing-leaf tree usually grows in dense to partial shade in forest margins and clearings, among trees and often on river banks and in other moist places. It is common in high rainfall areas, up to 2 000 mm annual rainfall. It can grow on steep or gentle slopes of all aspects and prefers humus rich, well-drained, brown or red, sandy or loamy soils, also stony soils. The geology has been described as granite, Swaziland rocks, middle Ecca sandstone.

Notes:

Location Data GPS tagged.