The term bush tomato refers to the fruit or entire plants of certain nightshade (Solanum) species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 native to the more arid parts of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. While they are quite closely related to tomato

Tomato

The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...

es (Solanum lycopersicum), they might be even closer relatives of the eggplant (S. melongena), which they resemble in many details. There are 94 (mostly perennial) natives and 31 (mostly annual) introduced species in Australia.

Bush tomato plants are small shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

s whose growth is encouraged by fire and disturbance. The fruit of a number of species have been used as food sources by Aboriginal

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

 people in the drier areas of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. They have a very strong flavor and scent when ripe and fresh, so that one can actually smell a richly fruiting specimen from quite a distance.

A number of Solanum

Solanum

Solanum, the nightshades, horsenettles and relatives, is a large and diverse genus of annual and perennial plants. They grow as forbs, vines, subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees, and often have attractive fruit and flowers. Many formerly independent genera like Lycopersicon or Cyphomandra are...

 species contain significant levels of solanine

Solanine

Solanine is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family , such as the potato . It can occur naturally in any part of the plant, including the leaves, fruit, and tubers. Solanine has fungicidal and pesticidal properties, and it is one of the plant's natural defenses...

 and as such are highly poisonous. It is strongly recommended that people unfamiliar with the plant do not experiment with the different species, as differentiating between them can often be difficult.

Some of the edible species are:

• Solanum aviculare Kangaroo Apple
• Solanum centrale, also known as Desert Raisin, Bush Raisin or Bush Sultana, or by the native name kutjera
• Solanum chippendalei
  Solanum chippendalei
  Solanum chippendalei is a small fruiting shrub in the family Solanaceae, native to northern Australia. It is named after its discoverer, George Chippendale. The fruits, known as "bush tomatoes", are edible and are harvested in the wild....
  
   Bush Tomato, Named after taxonomic botanist George Chippendale
  George Chippendale
  George Chippendale , was an Australian botanist and a strong proponent of growing Australian Native plants. As well as a career in botany, he also taught his love of botany to all who would listen through talks to children, special interest groups, walks on Canberra'a Black Mountain and more...
  
  
• Solanum coactiliferum  Aborigines roasted the fruit before eating.
• Solanum diversiflorum Bush Tomato, Karlumbu, Pilirta, Wamurla
• Solanum ellipticum
  Solanum ellipticum
  Solanum ellipticum is known as Potato Bush and under the more ambiguous name of "bush tomato". The Arrernte name of merne awele-awele might refer to this species, and/or to the similar S. quadriloculatum...
  
   Potato Bush, Very similar to S. quadriliculatum which is poisonous.
• Solanum lacinatum Kangaroo Apple
• Solanum orbiculatum Round-leaved Solanum
• Solanum phlomoides Wild Tomato.
• Solanum vescum
  Solanum vescum
  Solanum vescum, commonly known as green kangaroo apple or gunyang, is a small fruiting shrub in the family Solanaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Australia....
  
   

In 1859, the Aborigines were observed burning off the outer skin of S. aviculare as the raw state would blister their mouths. Aborigines

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

 eat the fruit of S. centrale raw or put it on the hot earth by the fire, sprinkle some water on the fruits and cover them up to cook them. S. chippendalei is consumed by first splitting the fruit, scraping the centre out and eating the outer flesh as the seeds and surrounding placenta are bitter. S. diversiflorum is roasted before being eaten or dried. Fruit of S.orbiculatum is edible, but the fruit of the large leafed form may be bitter. Fruit of S. phlomoides appears to be edible after the removal of seeds and roasting or sundrying.

Mardu

Martu (Indigenous Australian)

Mardu are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Western Desert. Their lands include the Percival Lakes and Pilbara regions in Western Australia...

 people would skewer

Skewer

A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. They are used while grilling or roasting meats, and in other culinary applications....

 them and dry them so the food was readily transportable. In Mardu they are known as wamurla, while the Warlpiri

Warlpiri

The Warlpiri are a group of Indigenous Australians, many of whom speak the Warlpiri language. There are 5,000–6,000 Warlpiri, living mostly in a few towns and settlements scattered through their traditional land in Australia's Northern Territory, north and west of Alice Springs...

 call them wanakiji.

In the Central Australian language of Arrernte, the species are distinguished. S. ellipticum and/or S. quadriloculatum are called merne awele-awele, S. cleistogamum ismerne mwanyerne, and S. centrale is merne akatyerre. The Arrernte term merne means "fruit or nut".

S. aviculare contains solasodine, a steroid used in the manufacture of oral contraceptives.