Solanum pseudocapsicum L., Solanaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: shan hu yin

English: false Jerusalem cherry, Jerusalem cherry, Madeira cherry, Madeira winter-cherry, winter-cherry

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Erect shrubs up to 1.5 m tall, unarmed, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple or dendritic hairs on young growth, later glabrate.  Leaves simple, alternate, elliptic to lanceolate, often 5-8 cm long, 1-1.5 cm wide, margins entire, often undulate, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneate and somewhat decurrent to petiole, petioles 5-12 mm long.  Flowers perfect, actinomorphic, solitary or few on short common peduncles 5-10 mm long, often leaf-opposed, pedicels ca. 1 cm long; calyx tubular, 2-3 mm long, the lobes long-triangular, 2-3 mm long; corolla white, rotate-stellate, ca. 1 cm long; stamens inserted near base of corolla tube; filaments ca. 0.5 mm long, glabrous; anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm long, opening by apical slits; ovary globose; style 1, erect, exceeding anthers; stigma terminal.  Berries 1-2 developing per cyme, bright orangish red, succulent, globose, erect on pedicels, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, calyx somewhat enlarged.  Self-compatible"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1274).

Habitat/ecology:  "Forests and forest edges, riparian habitats.  Where native, this plant is common in grassland, thickets, and disturbed places.  Where invasive, it becomes abundant and forms dense patches that crowd out native plants and prevent the regeneration of shrubs and trees.  Little is known on the ecology of this plant"  (Weber, 2003; p. 408).

In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in disturbed sites in mesic forest, grassy pastures, along seasonal streams, and in open or shaded woods, 600-2,100 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1274).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Probably native to eastern Argentina, but widely and early cultivated as an ornamental and now naturalized in many warm temperate and tropical areas worldwide" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1274).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 557)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1274)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1274)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1274) Voucher cited: Hillebrand s.n. (BM)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1274)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 133) Voucher cited: H. Brinon 10 (NOU)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) Cultivated in China.
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 220) Ornamental.
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 188)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 1249) "Garden escape in and around hedgerows, plantations, remnant forest stands and shady waste places".
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced cultivated	Ching-I Peng, ed. (2011) "Persistent after cultivation, ca. 1,000 m altitude".

Control: 

Physical:  "Hand pull all but the largest plants (all year round). Leave on site to rot down.

Chemical:  1. Weed wipe (spring-autumn): triclopyr 600 EC or Tordon Gold (333ml /L). 
2. Spray small plants (spring-autumn): 2,4-D ester (70ml/10L). 
3. Spray plants over 30 cm tall (spring-autumn): glyphosate (10ml/L) or Tordon Gold (600ml/100L)"  (Weedbusters New Zealand).

Additional information:
Information from Solanaceae Source.
Information from Environment Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
Information sheet from Weedbusters New Zealand.

Additional online information about Solanum pseudocapsicum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Solanum pseudocapsicum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Solanum pseudocapsicum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Ching-I Peng, ed. 2011. Digital flora of Taiwan (online resource).

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).