Solanum melongena L.
Family
Solanaceae
Synonyms
Solanum coagulans Forsskal, Solanum cumingii Dunal, Solanum pressum Dunal, Solanum undatum Poiret sensu Ochse.
Vernacular Names
|
Malaysia |
Terong. |
|
English |
Eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal. |
|
Indonesia |
Terong, encung, tiung (Sumatra). |
|
Philippines |
Talong (Tagalog), tarong (Ilocano), bringhinas (Bisaya). |
|
Cambodia |
Trâb vèèng, trâb put lonhoong. |
|
Laos |
Khüa poom, khüa hlèèz, khüa ham maaz. |
|
Thailand |
Makhua-yao, makhua-chan, makhua-khao. |
|
Vietnam |
C[af] t[is]m, c[af] b[as]t. |
|
French |
Aubergine, melongene, bringelle. |
Geographical Distributions
Solanum melongena is an eggplant most probably originated in the Indo-Burmese region, where it is an ancient crop and occurs with great variability; secondary centers of diversity are China and possibly Africa. Now it has spread throughout the tropics, subtropics and the warm temperate regions; in temperate climates, it is also grown in greenhouses.
Description
Solanum melongena is an erect, branching, very polymorphous and perennial herb that can reach up to 1.5 m tall. It is grown as an annual, and with strong and deeply penetrating taproot. All parts are covered with a grey tomentum where sometimes plants are somewhat spiny while the older plants may become woody. The leaves are arranged alternate and simple. The petiole is up to 10 cm long. The leaf blade is ovate to ovate-oblong, measuring 3-25 cm x 5-15 cm, densely stellate hairy, rounded or cordate at base, often unequal, with sinuately lobed margin, and acute or obtuse at apex. The flowers are solitary or in 2-5-flowered cymes, hermaphrodite or male (andromonoecy), opposite the leaves and measure 3-5 cm in diametre. The pedicel is 1-3 cm long while in fruit is up to 7 cm. The sepal is tubular-bell-shaped, measures about 2 cm long, 5-7-lobed, spiny, woolly, persistent and enlarges in fruit where it often splits. The petal unites, deeply 5-6-lobed and stellately spreading, purplish-violet and with hairy lobes beneath. There are 5-6 stamens about 1 cm long. The anthers open by two terminal pores. The ovary is 2-locular, with simple style and headed stigma. The fruit is a large pendent berry, ovoid, oblongoid, obovoid or nearly spherical to spherical, measures up to 40 cm long and 20 cm in diametre but very variable, smooth, shiny, white, green, yellow, purple, black or mixed coloured. The seeds are numerous, small and light-brown. (1)
Ecology / Cultivation
Optimum day temperatures for Solanum melongena range between 25-35°C, night temperatures between 20-27°C. S. melongena is more susceptible to low temperatures than tomato and capsicum pepper and it does not tolerate frost. S. melongena is tolerant of drought and excessive rainfall, but in general fruit set and production decrease under adverse conditions. As far as is known, it is daylength-neutral. It does best in well-drained, sandy loam. The most satisfactory environmental conditions are normally found in lowland areas with relatively little temperature variation. When grown at altitudes above 800 m, growth is retarded and yield reduced.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
