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Solanum capsicoides

All. (1773)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Genus: Solanum

cockroach berry, kīkānia lei [kikania lei], pōpolo, red pōpolo [red popolo]

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual or short-lived shrubs up to 1 m tall.

Stems: Numerous or scattered prickles on most parts, pale or straw–colored, the prickles up to 12 mm long, sparsely pilose with simple, few–celled hairs and minute glandular hairs, stems with intraxylary phloem.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades broadly ovate, up to 11 cm long and 10 cm wide. Apex acute or obtuse. Base rounded to subcordate. Simple hairs, prickles conspicuous. Margins entire with 5–7 lobes divided 1⁄2 or less to midrib. Petioles ca. 5 cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 2–4 in clusters on short peduncles 3–4 mm long, arising from an internodal position, pedicels 1–1.5 cm long. Lower flowers bisexual (perfect), upper flowers sometimes staminate, actinomorphic. Calyx tubular, 2–3 mm long, the lobes broadly lanceolate, 2–3 mm long, apex acute, prickly. Corolla white, deeply divided, the lobes ca. 10 mm long, glabrous. Stamens (4)5, inserted near base of corolla tube; filaments 1–2 mm long, glabrous; anthers pale yellow, distinct, erect and cohering into a conical structure, 5–6 mm long, opening by apical pores. Ovary superior, sparsely pubescent above, 2(3–4)-carpellate, placentation axile; ovules numerous; style 1, erect, 5–8 mm long; stigma green.

Fruit: Berries bright orange scarlet when mature; the flesh white; dryish; depressed–globose; 2–3.5 cm in diameter; glabrous. Seeds numerous; flattened; bordered by a distinct narrow wing ca. 1.5 mm wide; 4–5 mm in diameter; seed coat minutely pitted; embryo curved; submarginal; endosperm present.

Ploidy: 2n = 24

Habitat: Disturbed areas such as pastures; pond banks; along trails; and in cane fields; and in mesic forest and diverse mesic forest.

Elevation Range: 15–850 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Water/Ocean
Wind

Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Auct. Syn. Meth. Stirp. Hort. Regii Taur.: 12 (1773)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1269 (K, O, Mo, L, H); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2000:8 (WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:536 (KEY, DESCR); Faccenda, Arthur, et al. 2025:214 (EM); Munro 281 BISH (L†, 1928)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Solanum capsicoides Mts near Kaloho Reservoir, Kilauea Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 551 Kauai BISH 1916-10-09
2 Solanum capsicoides Oahu Preserved_Specimen Mann, H. 38 Oahu BISH 1864-01-01
3 Solanum capsicoides Waimano Ridge Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 1986 Oahu BISH 1914-10-27
4 Solanum capsicoides Lihue, Haupu Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 2432 Kauai BISH 1909-03-18
5 Solanum capsicoides Kalaupapa, cultivated alongside the museum. Preserved_Specimen Transplanted from the wild. Minoda, C. Molokai BISH 2016-10-30
6 Solanum capsicoides Waioli Valley Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 122 Kauai BISH 1909-08-02
7 Solanum capsicoides Kalaupapa; trail, between switchback 6 and 8 Preserved_Specimen sprawling subshrub covered with prickles Wysong, M.L. 624 Molokai BISH 2005-02-12
8 Solanum capsicoides Adjacent to Munro Trail, between head of Kapohaku Gulch and Honoumi Gulch, across from old fog drip station, in recently cleared site. Pasture UNKNOWN . Coordinates do not match to country in source data. Not found a country in reverser geocoding. Bioversity International C. R. Annable Lanai HAPI 2/11/1998
9 Solanum capsicoides Koele Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. 182 Lanai BISH 1913-10-22
10 Solanum capsicoides unknown Preserved_Specimen BISH
11 Solanum capsicoides Kalae Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 14052 Molokai BISH 1918-04-01
12 Solanum capsicoides Olowalu Valley Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2467 Maui BISH 1920-05-23
13 Solanum capsicoides Koele Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. 465 Lanai BISH 1913-10-22
14 Solanum capsicoides Wailupe Valley, right fork Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 154 Oahu BISH 1920-01-12
15 Solanum capsicoides Poauhou Paddock, Hamakua Preserved_Specimen Hosaka, E.Y. 2271 Hawaii BISH 1938-06-09
16 Solanum capsicoides Iaacchau, #3 Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 4346 Hawaii BISH 1909-07-06
17 Solanum capsicoides Waialae Iki Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. Oahu BISH 1908-10-10
18 Solanum capsicoides Waialae Iki Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. Oahu BISH 1908-10-10
19 Solanum capsicoides Kalae Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 71 Molokai BISH 1912-06-01
20 Solanum capsicoides Right fork, Wailupe Valley Preserved_Specimen Garlu, W. 154 Oahu BISH 1920-01-12
21 Solanum capsicoides near Pohakunui Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 7382 Molokai BISH 1928-05-06
22 Solanum capsicoides Niu Valley Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 4814 Oahu BISH 1909-08-22
23 Solanum capsicoides Hii Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. 281 Lanai BISH 1928-02-04
24 Solanum capsicoides Kualapuu Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 790 Molokai BISH 1915-03-01
25 Solanum capsicoides unknown Preserved_Specimen Hillebrand, W.B. BISH
26 Solanum capsicoides Hanalei District. Kalalau Valley, east side gulches near front of valley mouth, below Kaaalahina ridge. In small, dry stream bed with non-native dominant vegetation W/ Aleurites moluccana Psidium guajava, Furcraea foetida, Lantana camara, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, Kalanchoe pinnata, Elephantopus mollis Preserved_Specimen Small shrub about 2 feet tall. In flower and fruit. Flower petals white. Stamens yellow. Fruit orange to red. Walsh, S. 447 Kauai BISH 2017-06-20
27 Solanum capsicoides Pahole Gulch, Waianae Mts., Waialua in deep shade on floor of main gulch. Preserved_Specimen armed shrub to 3' ht. Nagata, K.M. 1322 Oahu BISH 1976-06-15
28 Solanum capsicoides Puu Ka Ele Reservoir underneath trees in grazed cattle pastureland Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. 821 Kauai BISH 1982-04-30
29 Solanum capsicoides Koloa Dist.; Kalaheo, Kalawai Park Secondary vegetation of Syzygium cumini, Psidium guajava, and Ficus microcarpa. Common weed in open areas. Preserved_Specimen Sprawling herb 40 cm tall; corolla white; stamens yellow; ripe frt bright orange-red. Occasional. Naturalized locally. Lorence, D.H. 5208 Kauai BISH 1987-05-10
30 Solanum capsicoides Wailua Game Reserve, above Wailua, Kauai on plots stripmined for bauxite ore in 1958-1960. Tree plot area; localized fertilizer Preserved_Specimen spiney herb to 1 m., flowers white, fruit orange Howard, R.A. 20195 Kauai BISH 1985-10-20
31 Solanum capsicoides Honolulu: Manoa Valley; University of Hawaii Manoa Campus; courtyard of St.John Hall partial shade. Preserved_Specimen Trailing shrub; corolla white. Flower not fragrant (late morning). Mature fruit mandarin red Lau, J. 1276 Oahu BISH 1985-07-29
32 Solanum capsicoides East Maui, Papalaalaea, Haiku Mesic, pasture. Associated vegetation: Acacia confusa, Solanum torvum growing in understory Preserved_Specimen Viney shrub; thrns on stems and leaves; flowers small, 1cm, white/yellow; fruits red, 1/2-1 inch, round. Starr, F. 22122601 Maui BISH 2022-12-26
33 Solanum capsicoides W Maui, Lahaina District, Honolua, Papua Gulch Growing near an intermittent stream. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 29901 Maui BISH 1999-02-04
34 Solanum capsicoides N Kona Distr. Kaulana Ahu. Tr 51(20); NW slope of Hualalai; 2 km E of Mamalahoa road Mesic exotic shrub community with scattered ohia and exotic trees. On aa Preserved_Specimen spiney leaves Warshauer, F.R. 2136 Hawaii BISH 1978-09-04
35 Solanum capsicoides Hilo in gardens Preserved_Specimen weed; fls. cream, plant 4-5 dm tall Iltis, H.H. 68 Hawaii BISH 1967-06-18
36 Solanum capsicoides Honolulu arid pasture Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 204 Oahu BISH 1923-07-08
37 Solanum capsicoides Puna district, Hawaiian Beaches subdivision, 100' from coast Vegetation: guava and mango trees, grasses. Preserved_Specimen Prostrate stem 5 ft long. Flowers white, fruit dark orange. Paig, B. 317 Hawaii BISH 1981-04-22
38 Solanum capsicoides Puu Ka Ele Reservoir Underneath trees in grazed cattle pastureland. Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. 821 Kauai BISH 1982-04-30
39 Solanum capsicoides Mapulehu Valley sunny dry pasture Preserved_Specimen Wiebke, H. 3329 Molokai BISH 1928-07-25
40 Solanum capsicoides Ridge north side Waimea Valley in a gulley Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 2051 Oahu BISH 1915-02-10
41 Solanum capsicoides Alakoko near Nawiliwili, Kauai along bank of pond Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 2122 Kauai BISH 1926-06-14
42 Solanum capsicoides West Maui, Wailena Gulch Common in pasture and waste areas Preserved_Specimen Corolla white; stamens yellow; young fruits white with green markings, older fruits bright red Crosby, M.R. 1838 Maui BISH 1964-07-15
43 Solanum capsicoides East Molokai, Honouliwai Growing in damp shaded gluch bottom in semi-disturbed forest of Metrosideros, Psidium, Schinus, Aleurites, Dicranopteris, Rubus rosifolius, and Nephrolepis exaltata. Preserved_Specimen See label for lengthy plant description. Hobdy, R.W. 1834 Molokai BISH 1983-09-27
44 Solanum capsicoides Keopukaloa in thicket at bottom of gully Preserved_Specimen St.John, H. 12740 Molokai BISH 1932-12-27
45 Solanum capsicoides U.H.Campus, courtyard of St.John Hall partial shade. Preserved_Specimen Trailing shrub; corolla white. Flower not fragrant (late morning). Mature fruit mandarin red Lau, J. 1276 Oahu BISH 1985-07-29
46 Solanum capsicoides Kawela Bay abandoned pineapple field Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 7381 Oahu BISH 1933-04-12
47 Solanum capsicoides Iao Valley Parly shaded rocky Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 205 Maui BISH 1922-08-29
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