Thai name: Eggplant

Local name: Makhuea Lakorn (Nakhon Ratchasima) / Ma Kaew Klua Ma Kaew Kula (Chiang Mai) / Ma Waeng (Central, South) / Ma Waeng Chang (South) / Rab Jong Klom Mak Kaeng (Nakhon Ratchasima)

Common name: Turkey berry

Scientific name: Solanum torvum Sw.

Genus Solanum

torvum species

Synonym

Solanum ficifolium Ortega

Solanum mayanum Lundell

Family name: SOLANACEAE

Botanical characteristics

small shrub It has a height of about 1.0-3.0 cm. The branches are open. brown bark Young branches and young shoots have light brown powder-like hairs.

The leaves are single and have an alternating arrangement. The leaf shape is oval, the leaf tip is rounded, the leaf base is cut, and the leaf edge is concave and lobed. The edge has distant waves. The leaves are green and hairy. The leaves are about 5.0-20.0 cm wide and about 7.0-25.0 cm long. The leaf petioles have thorns.

The flowers come in clusters in the leaf axils and at the ends of the branches. The flowers are white, with 10-20 flowers. The calyx has 5 petals, the petals are 5, the base is connected together, the tip is pointed. Yellow stamens are in the center of the flower.

The fruit is spherical in shape, size 1.0-1.2 cm., dark green, smooth surface, with sepals attached to the fruit terminal. The seeds are flat, brown, numerous.

Ecological conditions

outdoor

ecological conditions

Can be found everywhere in the tropics.

Grows well in fertile, loose soil. Consistently moisturized It likes full sun, so it should be planted outdoors.

Place of origin

Antilles, from Florida West Indies, Mexico to Central and South America, Brazil.

Planting and propagation

Propagated by seed.

Utilization type

food, herbs

The stems, leaves are pounded and juice is applied as a poultice or boiled in water for bathing. Relieves numbness in the hands and feet of paralysis

The fruit has a bitter, astringent and slightly sour taste. Helps with digestion and is a diuretic. Pound it in water and mix it with salt or pound it and dip it in salt to relieve coughing.

The roots are an antipyretic, expectorant, and treat cracked feet or bunions.

The stem helps with digestion, is a diuretic, expectorant, relieves pain, relieves bruising and improves blood circulation.

Reference source

Academic Committee for Operations of the Herbal Garden Section, World Horticulture. 2006. Herbal Garden at the 2006 World Horticultural Expo. Sam Charoen Panich (Bangkok) Company Limited. Bangkok. 464 pages

ThaiHerbal. 2017. “Eggplant”. [Online system]. Source: http://thaiherbal.org/726/726 (10 July 2017).

The Plant List. 2013. “Solanum torvum Sw.”. [Online system]. Source: http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/tro-29600147 (10 July 2017).