Global InformationSolanum mammosum information
| Solanum mammosum | |
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| Ripe fruit | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Genus: | Solanum |
| Species: | S. mammosum
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| Binomial name | |
| Solanum mammosum L.
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| Synonyms | |
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See text | |
Solanum mammosum, commonly known as nipplefruit,[1] fox head,[2] cow's udder, or apple of Sodom, is an inedible Pan-American tropical fruit.[3] The plant is grown for ornamental purposes, in part because of the distal end of the fruit's resemblance to a human breast, while the proximal end looks like a cow's udder. It is an annual in the family Solanaceae, and part of the genus Solanum, making the plant a relative of the eggplant, tomato, and potato. This poisonous fruit is native to South America, but has been naturalized in Southern Mexico, Greater Antilles, Central America, and the Caribbean. The plant adapts well to most soils, but thrives in moist, loamy soil.
The plant has thin simple leaves occurring in alternating branching patterns with prominent venation. Hairy thorns cover the stem and branches of the plant. The inflorescence contains five to eight purple elongating buds. The fruit is a berry type, and has waxy yellow skin with reddish-brown seeds. The plant is propagated by the distribution of seeds.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Solanum ammosum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Manual" (PDF). USDA. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "Nipple Fruit, Solanum mammosum". Plant Informational Database. 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2017.