Solanum pectinatum Dunal

Herb or shrub to 1.5 m tall; twigs hirsute with simple hairs 3-6 mm long, these occasionally branched or stellate basally, armed with stout, orange, flattened, straight or curved spines. Leaves large, to 25 cm long, broadly squarrose-ovate, sinuate lobed, the base truncate or hastate, often dimidiate, the lobes often mucronate, above hirsute with mostly long, simple hairs, but often with very similar, sessile, multangulate hairs with long midpoints, beneath with similar but shorter hairs, not reticulate veined, armed above and beneath with flattened acicular spines; petioles to 10 cm long, hirsute and armed. Inflorescence a few-flowered lateral fascicle; pedicels 2-3 cm long, hirsute, unarmed. Flowers with the calyx lobed nearly to the base, the lobes large, 1-2 cm long, nearly equalling the corolla, deltoid, sometimes acuminate, hirsute outside, glabrous within except the top '/3; corolla white, deeply lobed, hirsute outside, glabrous within; anthers 10 mm long, elongate, stout at the base and narrowing abruptly in the upper half; ovary densely tomentose, the style glabrous. Fruit a large, globose, shiny, orange berry to 4 cm across, losing most of its indumentum when about 1/2 full-size; seeds compressed-lenticular, 2 mm across.

It is a tropical plant. It requires a frost free site. It needs light well-drained soil. In Bolivia it grows up to 300 m altitude. It grows in areas with a rainfall of 2000 mm per year. It does well in humid places. It needs fertile soil.

The fruit are eaten. They can be eaten raw but are best cooked. The fuzz needs to be rubbed off and possibly peeled. The fruit can be used for drinks.

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.