Solanum quitoense Seeds | Naranjilla
LATIN NAME: Solanum quitoense
COMMON NAME: Naranjilla
Plant Profile
Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) is a sprawling, softly spiny shrub of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to the cool Andean valleys of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It grows 1-2.5 m, with huge, velvety, purple-veined leaves and bright orange, tomato-like fruits filled with green, citrus-scented pulp. The juice is a beloved drink of the Andes, and the plant demands a cool, frost-free mountain climate.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Solanum quitoense ranges from the botany of the Solanum group to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Orange fruits of naranjilla give it a recognised place in research on warm-climate fruit crops of great nightshade family, and quitoense species appears in studies of the Andean small fruits and aromatic fruit chemistry. Species like this one find a second career as research material, especially in propagation and breeding work.
Uses & Benefits
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Naranjilla has the practical versatility that makes a plant worth growing from seed year after year. In warm, sheltered garden, naranjilla globes sheltered garden with orange fruits. Fruits serve fresh drinks and sorbets of the Andean kitchens for generations, velvety leaves make bold foliage feature, and white flowers open for the bees. It grows well in rich, moist, well-drained, sunny or lightly shaded ground. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
The nightshade genus feeds the world, potato, tomato, eggplant, and arms it too: goji is its tonic member, while many ornamentals carry toxic solanine-type alkaloids, so identification is everything in this genus.
Growing from Seed
Starting Naranjilla from seed is simple and satisfying. Level a tray of loose seed compost, sow evenly, cover to about the seed’s own depth, and keep it moist in full light. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
It forms an evergreen perennial, which makes spacing and siting straightforward. Naranjilla settles in quickly once it finds its footing. In a sunny, freely drained position it needs little looking after.
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