Solandra maxima, Solandra hartwegii, Solandra selerae

Thick stemmed tropical liana with large shiny leaves and large bell shaped golden yellow flowers. The thick and woody ropelike stems branch frequently and root at their nodes, and can run for more than 200', clinging with aerial rootlets and scrambling over everything in the way. The evergreen leaves are leathery, about 6" long and elliptic, with prominent lighter colored midribs and lateral veins. The flowers are truly spectacular, shaped like a chalice, 6-10" long, flaring open to 4-7" across. The five lobes of the corolla are reflexed, and each lobe is marked with a narrow purplish brown ridge on the inside. The flowers start out yellow and turn deeper golden as they age. They are fragrant, especially at night, with a scent reminiscent of coconut. Cup of gold blooms intermittently through the year, but mainly in the winter dry season. The fruits, rarely seen in cultivation, are round berries, about 2" in diameter. There are eight species of chalice vines, and they often are confused in the trade.Other species occur in the West Indies.

The 6-8 inch flowers are chalice shaped. They have a yellow corolla , with 5 purple lines. They bloom usually from February until May. Solandra maxima is the most common species in cultivation and vines offered as S. guttata and S. grandiflora may in fact be this one. The differences are subtle.

You can plant container plants at any time, but October is ideal, since it is a time of rapid growth. Plant near a wall, and water well. Use a slow release fertilizer in the fall.Cup of gold is a fast growing vine that thrives in most any well-drained soil. It tolerates severe pruning and blooms on new growth, so it can be cut back at any time of year. This is a heavy vine, and it requires a very sturdy support. Let the vine grow for a while, producing vigorous new shoots, then withhold water until the leaves begin to wilt. Hardiness: USDA Zones 10 - 11. Propagation: Cup of gold usually is propagated from stem cuttings taken in summer and rooted with bottom heat. Usage Cup of gold is often grown on large pergolas or trellises, or trained to grow up the side of a house where the spectacular flowers can spill down the walls over windows and doorways. Tolerant of salt spray and salty soils, all the chalice vines are excellent for seaside gardens. This is a large, rampant grower which requires plenty of space and a strong support. The chalice vines are related to the angel trumpets (Datura spp. and Brugmansia spp.), and like them, have hallucinogenic properties. They are used in sacred ceremonies in Mexico.

Poisonous Part: Leaves and flowers.

Solanum aculeatissimum, Solanum capsicoides

Very spiny, low and spreading habit, with branching near the ground, large orange fruit.

Solanum atropurpureum

The fruit's juices can be irritating to the touch.

Solanum bahamense

Solanum bahamense is native across the West Indies, from the Florida Keys east to Dominica. It is a common species in coastal habitats, often on calcareous soils.

It grows into a large bushy shrub and has pretty lavender flowers followed by very showy clusters of red fruit, resembling mini cherry tomatoes.

Easy to grow and fast growing.

Solanum betaceum, Cyphomandra crassicaulis, Cyphomandra betacea, Pionandra betacea, Solanum crassifolium

An evergreen tree growing to 10-15 ft by 10-12 ft at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. The plant is self-fertile: the scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by insects. Tree Tomato performs best at medium to high elevations. It is more popular in the Asiatic Tropics, New Zealand, and the Andean region of South America than in the Caribbean region. Trunk diameter is about 4 inches (10 cm). The large cordate-ovate leaves have a pungent smell. Plants have a shallow spreading root system and resent surface hoeing, they are best given a good mulch. The small, pinkish, fragrant flowers are produced in April or May in short axillary cymes near the ends of the branches. 2-3" fruit is eaten raw or cooked. The flavour can vary considerably from tree to tree, the best forms are juicy and sub-acid, they are eaten out of hand, added to salads, used in preserves, jams, jellies etc. The mature fruits resemble a hen's egg in size and shape and, in the West Indies, ripen from October to January. The 2-carpeled fruits are orange, red, or purple, depending on the variety. Internally the fruit consists of a meaty mesocarp and tomatolike seeds imbedded in a watery pulp. In flavor it is subacid and is generally considered to resemble the garden tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). The fruit is most commonly stewed to form a conserve. Unlike the garden tomato, the seeds and skin of the tree tomato should be removed before cooking. The unripe fruit is slightly toxic. The seedlings grow rapidly and generally produce the second year. Plants are subject to attacks by red spider mites, susceptible to nematodes.

Solanum bonariense, Solanum grandiflorum

Solanum capsicastrum

Winter cherries are usually planted as winter bedding in pots or window boxes to provide color during the most difficult time of the year. They are perennial though, and make neat little shrubs in a sheltered border. The small white flowers appear continuously from midsummer onwards and while these are fairly insignificant, they are soon followed by fruits about the size of a cherry. These fruits start off green but quickly change color through yellow and orange, to red. Solanum capsicastrum is well worth growing as a single plant in a pot for the patio where it will become an asset for many years. Do not eat the fruit though as they contain toxins. Once planted, ensure the plant always gets adequate supplies of water. Give a feed of fertilizer occasionally to encourage fruit to grow well. An easy plant to look after. This plant is suitable for growing indoors.

Supposedly, the plant described as Solanum pseudocapsicum and called Jerusalem Cherry, Madeira Winter Cherry, or, ambiguously, Winter Cherry is a closely related but distinct species. But these supposed differences are inconsistently given in various horticultural sources, and no botanical source has in recent times distinguished between the two. Indeed, these taxa are now generally held to refer to the same species, and the 'Jerusalem cherry', if it is at all distinguishable, seems to be a chemotype at best, or just a motley collection of cultivars.

Solanum conocarpum

Rare plant native only to the U.S. Virgin Islands, growing in seasonally dry, coastal habitat. It is limited to the island of St. John, where there are approximately 190 plants living in the wild. Solanum conocarpum has very large, conical berries that are green at maturity.

Solanum diphyllum

A perennial woody shrub, can be shaped into a small standard tree. Leaves are 1-2", dark green and shiny/glossy, come in unequal pairs: one is large and elliptic, the other small and rounded. The drooping white flowers have five recurved petals and stamens with large yellow anthers. The flowers are pollinated by wasps, bees, and flies-the vibration of the wings causes the anthers to release the pollen. The many-seeded berries ripen to yellow-orange. They are very sweet and juicy. The fruit attract sweet-loving insects and birds. Birds eat the berries and are the primary dispersers of the seeds.

This plant is listed as poisonous (like many plants of Solanaceae Family), so it is unknown if the fruit is harmless to humans.

It is cultivated in China and Taiwan as an ornamental and for hedges. Can become invasive in favorable conditions.

Solanum dulcamara

Solanum dulcamara is a semi-woody herbaceous perennial vine, which scrambles over other plants, capable of reaching a height of 4 m where suitable support is available, but more often 1-2 m high.

Although fatal human poisonings are rare, several cases have been documented. The red berries are toxic but, fortunately, very bitter so it is implicated in only a handful of accidental poisonings.