Quechua is a Native American language family spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua.
Solanum quitoense, known as
naranjilla .gif", event)' onMouseout='HidePop("93099")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Orange_(fruit)">orange
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus ×sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine...
") in
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America that...
and as
lulo ' onMouseout='HidePop("42471")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Quechua">Quechua
Quechua is a Native American language family spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 6 to 8 million speakers...
) in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
, is a subtropical
perennial plantA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
from northwestern
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
. The scientific name means "nightshade from
QuitoSan Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
" as evidenced by the scientific name, it is a member of the Nightshade family.
The naranjilla plant is attractive, with large heart-shaped leaves up to 45 cm in length. The leaves and stems of the plant are covered in short purple hairs. Naranjilla are delicate plants and must be protected from strong winds and direct sunlight. They grow best in partial shade. Its
USDAThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
/NRCS
symbolA symbol is something such as an object, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention. For example, a red octagon may stand for "STOP". On maps, crossed sabres may indicate a battlefield...
is SOQU.
The fruit has a citrus flavour, sometimes described as a combination of
rhubarbRhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular shaped with long fleshy petioles. They have small flowers grouped in large compound...
and
limeLime is a term referring to a number of different fruits, both species and hybrids and generally citruses, which have their origin in the Himalayan region of India and which are typically round, green to yellow in colour, 3–6 cm in diameter, and generally containing sour and acidic pulp. They are...
. The
juiceJuice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be...
of the naranjillas is
greenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
and is often used as a
drinkA drink, or beverage, is a liquid which is specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to filling a basic human need, beverages form part of the culture of human society.-Water:...
. The naranjilla fruit is harvested when fully
ripeRipening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more edible. In general, a fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. However the acidity as well as sweetness rises during ripening, but the fruit still tastes sweeter regardless...
to avoid the fruit becoming sour.
Monophyletic Classification
With in the genus Solanum, S.quitoense is apart of the leptostemonum clade. With in this clade S. quitoense belongs to the Lasiocarpa clade. Other species with in this clade are: S.candidum, S.hyporhodium, S.lasiocarpum, S.felinum, S.psudolulo, S. repandum and S. vestissimum.
Other plants exist with morphologically similarities to S.quitoense, but they may or may not be closely related. Some of these plants are: S.hirtum, S. myiacanthum, S. pectinatum, S. sessiliflorum and, S. verrogeneum. Many of these plants related or not can be confused with S. quitoense, furthermore Solanum quitoesnse's physical traits varys from plant to plant, making identification challenging. One characteristic that is unique to S. quitoense is the ring of green flesh within the ripe fruit.
Agriculture
The future of this plants impact on the global food industry is uncerten. While this plant bares many promising agrucultural qualitys, the plant has large obsticales to over come. This plant can add new flavors to the food industry. Though the exact chemicals have not been discovery, their presence in the fruit has been confirmed. On the down side the plant is subseptible to fungus parasites and other diseases. Its fruits, like a tomato's are unpractical to pick ripe because of its short shelf life (4-5 days). The fruits are found at markets. It is common for locals to make beverages by adding sugar and water to the freshly squeezed fruits. Costa rica is the only known place where naranjilla jam is commercially sold. locals will also add salt to the fresh fruit, cut it into pieces, and eat it .
Pests / Hybrids
Pests easily destroy a crop of this species. This limits its use for agriculture. One common type of infection is caused by the root-knot nematode. The ripe fruit can be attacked by fungus fairly easily. Many times the fruit is picked unripe to avoid rotting.
Hybrids are an increasingly popular solution to the nematode pest problem.
Solanum quitoense has been hybridized with other plants, most commonly with
S. sessiliflorm, a plant with similar phenotypic traits. The leaves, flowers and fruits of
S. sessiliflorm are similar in form to
S. quitoense, but has much larger fruits that are yellow; the resulting hybrids have fruits with yellowish fruit pulp.
Health facts / Fruit analysis
These photos show the unripe fruit (green) in comparison to the ripe fruit (orange).
Contents of the fruit varies from region to region. These statistics are based on Costa Rican fruit.
| fruit nutrients |
percent contained in fruit |
| Water |
90% |
| Protein |
1% |
| Fat |
less then .0001% |
| Carbohydrates |
3.8% |
| Fiber |
1.4% |
| Sugar |
3% |
| Calories |
(kcal/100g) 18 |
| Vitamin C |
2.6% |
These statistics are based on fruits found in Colombia and Ecuador.
| Fruit nutrients |
mg per 100g of nutrients. |
| Calcium |
5.9-12.4 mg |
| Phosphorus |
12.0-43.7 mg |
| Iron |
0.34-0.64 mg |
| Carotene |
0.071-0.0232 mg |
| Thiamine |
0.04-0.094 |
| Riboflavin |
0.03-0.047 |
| Niacin |
1.19-1.76 |
New growth / Trichomes
The new growth of this plant is densely covered in trichomes. Coloration in the plant's trichomes around the new growth and flowers varys from purple to white and from plant to plant. Identifcation can be difficult for this reason. The buds and baby leaves are protected.
These photos show the new growth on the plant.
Synonyms
This plant has been described under a number of junior synonyms:
- Solanum angulatum Ruiz & Pav.
- Solanum macrocarpon Molina (non L.: preoccupied)
- Solanum macrocarpon Pav. ex Dunal in DC. (nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name". In taxonomy, this is used to indicate a term or phrase which looks like a scientific name, and may well have been intended to become a scientific name, but fails to be one because it was not published with an adequate description ,...
, preoccupied)
- Solanum nollanum Britton
- Solanum quitense Kunth
- Solanum quitoense f. septentrionale (R.E.Schult. & Cuatrec.) D'Arcy
- Solanum quitoense var. septentrionale R.E.Schult. & Cuatrec.
External links
- PLANTS National Database Reports and Topics SOQU
- GRIN/NPGS Taxonomy information Solanum quitoense Lam.
Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de la Marck , often just known as 'Lamarck', was a French soldier, naturalist, academic and an early proponent of the idea that evolution occurred and proceeded in accordance with natural laws.Lamarck fought in the Pomeranian War with Prussia, and...
- Naranjilla in Fruits of Warm Climates by Morton, Julia F.
Julia Francis McHugh Morton was an American author and botanist. She was research professor of biology, and director of the Morton Collectanea at the University of Miami. She was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1974...
1987