About Solanum atropurpureum Schrank
Solanum atropurpureum Schrank, commonly called malevolence, purple devil, and the five-minute plant, is a perennial herbaceous plant native to Brazil. Toxic tropane alkaloids are present throughout its fruit, stems, and leaves, so the plant should never be ingested. This species grows as a shrub reaching 1.2 to 1.8 meters in height and 90 to 120 centimeters in width when fully mature. Its fully grown leaves are ovate, spade-shaped, and measure 5 to 10 centimeters long. It blooms yellow to white flowers from late spring to mid summer, then produces small orange fruit that are 1 to 2 centimeters wide. The juice of these fruits can cause skin irritation on contact, so gloves are recommended when handling or removing the plant. Solanum atropurpureum is short-lived, with a typical lifespan of 3 to 5 years. A defining characteristic of the plant is its purple stems, which are entirely covered in conspicuous 2-centimeter-long purple and green thorns. These thorns, also called prickles, are the likely origin of the plant’s common names. Unlike Solanum atropurpureum, its edible relative the eggplant does not have these prickles, a difference caused by variation in the LOG gene. This plant can be grown as an ornamental; it requires full sun and moderate amounts of water. It grows well in a wide range of soil types, and can tolerate temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F) for short periods of a few days. It can be propagated from seeds harvested from its fruits, or from stem cuttings, which root and grow into new plants in 10 to 20 days. Solanum atropurpureum is also known to act as a natural reservoir for potato virus X.
