Know your eggplants - Part 1

Introduction

You are here     African eggplants     You are here
The Gilo Group

The Kumba Group
The Shum Group
The Aculeatum Group

Solanum anguivi Lam.

Solanum macrocarpon L.

 Asian eggplants
Solanum melongena L.
Solanum torvum Sw.
Solanum ferox L.

European eggplants

Appendixes

Bilingual lexiques

African - English

Japanese - English
Malay - English
Thai - English

Cultivar descriptions and seed sources tables

African  eggplants
Asian eggplants

European eggplants

To those of us living with plants it is always a source of amazement that eggplants are so little known. Asian and African consumers know theirs well but are less familiar with the Western types. Westerners are equally ignorant of the richness found in Asia and Africa. It is even arguable that they are not aware of the rich diversity available within the most popular species (Solanum melongena L.) and that could be available on the market place.

This is understandable because apart from the large purple fruit that everyone knows, very little else is seen in market stalls or on the supermarket shelves. This is not confined to eggplants, it applies to every crop grown and distributed via the market place which, despite the "global village" and the "global market" concepts, remains a market of rather narrow minded traders and consumers. This may be enough to meet the needs of the best known recipes  of the Western world such as the Greek “moussaka”, , the French “ratatouille”, the Sicilian “caponata”, the Middle Eastern “baba ghanoush” and “imam bayaldi” But what if one wants to cook the dish from Cameroun “nkwi”, or a “แกงเขียวหวานไก่” Gaeng kĭeow wăan gài (Thai green chicken curry) calling for pea eggplants (European green peas not being an option), the Indian dish धूम्रपान बैंगन करी  Baingan ka bharta, the Caucasian Nigvziani badrijani (walnut-flavoured eggplants), the Chinese dish  釀茄子(stuffed eggplants), or even the regional Italian "Fusilli al filetto di melanzana rossa e Caciocavallo Podolico" and "Frittelle di foglie di melanzana rossa" both calling for 'Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda' which is a direct descendant of the African red eggplants?

Some seed companies go to great lengths to make available to their customers a wide range of cultivars (cultivated varieties), but unless people grow the plants, they are not likely to come across some of the most beautiful eggplants available on this planet.

So let us see if we can enthuse some of our readers for some lesser known treasures of the eggplant world.

This brilliant display encompasses most of the shapes and colours (but not all) available in the world. The species and mostly the cultivar names will vary greatly in the market place but the basic array will be found. These fruits from open-pollinated varieties were all grown by David during his gardening days with the Seed Savers Exchange USA. Most are still preserved and offered by this organization. It is also possible to find seeds of hybrid forms of all these. We are not fans of hybrids but during a lack of O.P. cultivars they can fulfil a need. They can also be useful if they have been bred to resist specific climatic conditions or some diseases. We do not see the need at all for genetically modified varieties however. Who would, given the broad spectrum covered in this article? It would take the average gardener a lifetime to grow and cook them all in the various ways they are meant to be prepared. Some seed companies do see the need though. Possibly the first to have this dubious honour is India Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) based in Jaina, India. ^Note1
The Tomato Growers Seed Supply Company offers one the widest range of cultivars available in the world from a single source via a beautiful gallery with high quality photos (check the large sizes).

The main difference between the western types of eggplants and the African or Asian is that the first are well and truly domesticated, some would argue too much hybridised if not yet genetically manipulated (except above example). The Asian and African eggplants are much less domesticated for the most part and are either close to their wild relatives or just plain wild plants such as the pea eggplant from Uganda or the hairy-fruited pea eggplant from Thailand.

African species and types

African eggplants are not so diverse in shapes or even sizes but their glossy-skinned fruits can be found striped, multi-coloured, or in many shades of white, cream, yellow, green, lime, orange, pink, red, plum, burgundy, lavender, violet, purple, and dusky black. The red-fruited varieties are the favorite in most of the non-African world. All these colours are developing on mature mostly inedible fruits. Generally in order to be edible the fruits are better picked at an early stage of development, even more so than is the case with western types of eggplants. Looking at photos of the fruits can be misleading. These eggplants are actually rather small. See the photo on top of this page where tiny red fruits rest among giants of different colours, or the measured size for various cultivars in the table below. Apart from a source of food, eggplants in general, African eggplants in particular, are also used for medicinal purposes in both a traditional and modern sense. Targeted diseases are, among others, diabetes, bronchitis, asthma, dysuria, dysentery, etc. We probably raise as many questions as we answer on this page but that is the nature of knowledge, it keeps on growing, and these pages are part of the growth.

Gardening note: I am tempted to say that if you are struggling when growing common eggplants in respect to your climatic conditions forget about attempting to grow tropical African or Asian eggplants. Practical experience however has taught me that given the tumultuous climatic conditions that the world is experiencing, no matter where you live, everything is possible. I did grow successfully some red African eggs on a couple of occasions, and yet I have always struggled most years with some common eggplants cultivars and even some tomato cultivars (the reason why I keep on raving about the Italian Pink Pear which has never really failed me).

The best known African eggplants are the miniature pumpkin-shaped  so called "African scarlet eggplant" and the Brazilian Jiló.

They both, together with other groups, come under the domesticated species Solanum aethiopicum L., a species with a rich history. The ancestor of this species was the wild Solanum anguivi Lam. Natural evolution and people influences helping, via the semi-domesticated Solanum distichum Schumach & Thonn. found in gardens of Tropical Africa, Solanum aethiopicum L. was born. Following further adaptation to different conditions and responding to various cultural practices, such as selection for leaves as opposed to selection for fruits,  the many groups were formed. One group has found its way to Brazil via the slave trade. Today Brazilians enjoy it under the name of Jiló or Jinjilo. It belongs to the Gilo Group, composed mostly of plants with elongated fruits such as those below.  Cultivars of a superior quality have yet to be identified and / or developed. One of the bodies leading the search and the research for the ultimate varieties is the African branch of the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC).

Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)

Within the Gilo Group we find ribbed or smooth fruits, either with white, pale-green, dark-green, striped or purple skin. Cultivars on the market are shown in the following table. Some similar looking cultivars such as "Striped Toga" are listed (under Solanum melongena L.) in various catalogues but we have not been able to find out the parentage. The two main preferred types in Brazil are:

Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)

Plants of this group can be found in catalogues under the synonyms "Red African eggplant", "Orange African eggplant", "Scarlet African eggplant", and even "Mini pumpkin tree". It is often treated as an ornamental in the West because it is strikingly beautiful but also because from a culinary perspective it does not meet the taste of every westerner. Much of the negative feelings towards it are based on ignorance of the basic preparation. The fruits are best picked green, before they start colouring and developing seeds - a general rule applying to all eggplants.

Dominique Guillet from Kokopelli mentions the variety 'Burkina Faso'.

It is available from both Kokopelli and Amishland Seeds.

According to the trade there are some sweet cultivars and some bitter cultivars, although there is no unanimous opinion on the subject. In fact many cultivars can be both either sweet or bitter, depending on the growing conditions and the picking time. There is a cultivar called 'Black Stream' with black stems and orange to red fruits which is grown as an ornamental in France. Amishland Seeds in America retail what they call "Gilo Black Stem". This could be a synonym of the same cultivar. They confirm the ornamental value of the plant as well as the odd tasting / non edible quality of the fruit. On the other hand the name suggest a plant from the Gilo Group, which is not unreasonable since some gilos have round fruits.

Some edible cultivars are grown for their leaves, others for their fruits, and yet others for both (see descriptions in table below).

Unlike the pretty fruits in the photo above many edible African eggplants are not so attractive and look more like the fruits below:

The cultivars not available from the sources mentioned in the table below can possibly be tracked down via the African Seed Trade Association.

Solanum aethiopicum L. (Shum Group)

The cultivars within this group are grown for their leaves. The little bite-size fruits although edible when ripe are often neglected. We could not find any cultivar from this group. Perhaps some of those listed under Solanum macrocarpon L. belong here ?

Solanum aethiopicum L. (Aculeatum Group)

This is a group of plants with fruits twice as large as those of  the Shum type but totally neglected from the culinary point of view. One wonders if their spiny leaves and stems are a consequence of the neglect or the cause of it. The size of their fruits may make them confusable with those of those listed under Solanum macrocarpon L. They can be grown as ornamentals or used as root stock for tomatoes and eggplants. ‘Iizuka’ has been selected in Japan for this purpose.

In his massive catalogue, Dominique Guillet of Kokopelli lists 'Tingua Verde Claro' and 'Rouge de Chine' (which we think is a synonym of 'Red China') as Solanum aethiopicum L. (Aculeatum Group) cultivars. We cannot be certain but we tend to think that they are rather respectively Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group) and Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group). Feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.

Solanum anguivi Lam.

Reproduced from PROTA article with permission from the copyright owner: Rudy R. Schippers Green Uganda Pea eggplant at edible (but bitter) stage.  Grapes of ripe red berries (edible to birds only).

As a semi-domesticated species it offers a great variation in the plants, flowers and fruits numbers, sizes, colours etc. Worth noting is the Uganda Pea eggplant. The bitter pea-size green fruits are eaten in various ways fresh or dried. In Cameroun they are a vital ingredient of a dish called “nkwi”. They are either picked from the wild plants or grown / tolerated on farms and gardens. In Africa or for African people elsewhere having access to them they are the equivalent to the Asian pea eggplant Solanum torvum Sw.

Propagation of the African eggplants.

From the seed saver perspective the first thing to keep in mind is that these plants are tropical. The second is that all the plants from all species named above can cross with each other, produce fertile seeds and therefore in the right conditions can become weeds. Similarly in non-tropical settings it will be equally important to avoid cross-pollination by isolating in the usual manners: distance, netting, bagging, spaced flowering if possible etc. This is not to avoid propagating weeds but to conserve cultivars true to type as much as possible.

Solanum macrocarpon L. 

This is also known as the "African eggplant", sometimes as "African macrocarpon". A better hybridised name is "Gboma eggplant" based on its correct African name Gboma.
Gboma (a village from Liberia - West Africa) has given its name to many cultivated forms of S. aethiopicum and S. macrocarpon eggplants in West Africa and in many coastal countries. It is mostly recognized in relation to S. macrocarpon however. Indeed because many cultivars take their names from village names there is even a cultivar called 'Gboma' found in Togo but this being the common African name for many eggplant types it is really a particularly misleading name for a cultivar.

One could say of this species also that it is semi-domesticated. As such it still has great variations in its growth habit, fruit sizes etc. It is one of the semi-wild species showing the greatest potential for hybridising. The main reason is that its great diversity could be developed in many directions. The second is that its natural resistance to bugs and diseases could improve weaker varieties of the main domesticated species Solanum aethiopicum L. and mostly  Solanum melongena L. by crossbreeding. 

When cultivated, varieties are selected for their fruits, usually the thin skinned are preferred, or their leaves. Both fruits and leaves are bitter and most need to be consumed locally. This can only be an advantage from the ecological viewpoint - no storage - no transport to the other side of the world. If the rest of the world wants it, it has to grow it or does it? Despite the ordinary quality of the crop some enterprising countries have managed to develop some thick-skinned fruits that will store and travel. Senegal and Ouganda export to France (the Château-Rouge market and surrounding shops in the heart of Paris would be a first port of call), San Domingo and Surinam export to the USA. Not a promotion of the best that Africa has to offer but a back door entry for planting material for seed savers and enterprising horticulturists.

Reproduced with permission from Trade Winds Fruits

Solanum macrocarpon L. 'Gbogname' flower

Reproduced with permission from Trade Winds Fruits

Solanum macrocarpon L. 'Gbogname' fruit
Its edibility is not known. Only the young foliage of this plant is consumed in Togo.

There are 4 groups recognized within this species (Bukenya and Carasco - 1994). We have slotted some cultivars in some of those groups (see table below).

Solanum macrocarpon Poir. (Mukono Group)

Named after the Town and cultivar Mukono.

Solanum macrocarpon Poir. (Nabingo Group)

Named after the Town and cultivar Nabingo.

Solanum macrocarpon Poir. (Semi wild Group)

Solanum macrocarpon Poir. (Uganda Group)

One cultivar called 'Gbokouman', from The Southern Ivory Coast, is reported within this species, but little is known about it. Another with unknown / unclear taxonomy is 'Cookstown Orange'.

These seemingly different fruits are in fact of the same species and probably the same cultivar. The question remains which? We are tempted to narrow it down to 2: Solanum aethiopicum L. or Solanum macrocarpon L. If it is S. aethiopicum is it from the Aculeatum Group or any other group? Jeffrey Heath et al. give a few African names  for this plant but unfortunately, as it is the case almost in every such situation those vernacular names are also given to other species from the same countries. Will Jeffrey et al. come up with the answer in their major project."Dogon and Bangi Me Linguistics" or will we?

Meanwhile this eggplant is available from Sand Hill Preservation Center . It is described by various sources as: "Green fruits rather bitter with dark green stripes when young and edible. Green-orange with faint dark-green stripes when ripe. Transplantation to first picking in 70 days."

African cultivars on the world market

We have done our best trying to identify every cultivar mentioned. If we have made mistakes please tell us. We have not discriminated between so called organic source of seeds and others in order to offer the broad spectrum of what is available in the world. Again if we missed something please tell us, we will update this table promptly. 

This is not a print publication but a live interactive guide. Comments are very welcome

send mail to m.porcher@unimelb.edu.au

Disagreements on botanical names

'Tingua Verde Claro' is considered by Kokopelli as a Solanum aethiopicum L. (Aculeatum Group). We think it is a Jilo so have placed it in that group. They also list 'Rouge de Chine', which we think is a synonym of 'Red China', as a Solanum aethiopicum L. (Aculeatum Group). We tend to think that it is rather in the Kumba Group.

Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Akwaseho’	Fruits and leaves are consumed. From Ghana.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Brazilian Oval Orange’	Available :  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Bui’	Fruits only are consumed. From Ghana.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Comprido Cachoeira’	Elongated  fruits vary from 20 to 50g per fruit.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Comprido Grande Rio ’	8 -10 cm thick fruits 80 - 100 g. Elongated form of Verde Claro from Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro. Available :  SAKATA Seed Sudamerica Ltda.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Comprido verde claro ’ aka ‘ Comridio verde ’ (misspelt)	Tear-drop light green fruit about 1/4 of the size of a medium size eggplant. From Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro & Espirito Santo. Available : Possibly from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group) x Solanum anguivi Lam.	‘Damsah’	Pea size fruits. From Burkina Faso (Upper Volta).
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘Dwomo’	Egg-shaped fruits. From Ghana.
Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Gbogname’	Ancient vegetable from Togo, West Africa. Its young green leaves are cooked but the green to yellow bitter fruits (2.5 to 3 inches - 7 to 8 cm in diameter) are ignored. These may be edible young. Available : Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Trade Winds Fruits.
Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Gboma’	Fruits and leaves are consumed. From Ghana.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘Goyo Kumba’	Available :  Kokopelli, Tradewinds
Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Igbagba’	From Nigeria.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘Jaxatu Soxna’ aka 'Soxna'
Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Kade’	Fruits and leaves are consumed. From Ghana.
Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Mankessim’	Fruits and leaves are consumed. From Ghana.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (? Group)	‘Manyire Green’	Round, green ripening to red fruits. From East Africa.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Aculeatum Group) Synonym : Solanum integrifolium Poiret	‘Melanzana Rossa di Rotonda’ aka ‘Merlingiana a Pummadora’ aka ‘Italian Orange’?	Brought from Africa and grown since the late1800's in Rotonda - Italy and claimed with justification as an Italian  Heirloom. Available : Italian private growers.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Morro Grande Verde-Escuro’ aka 'Dark Green Morro Grande’	Dark-green larger round or oblong  fruits 6 - 7 cm diameter, 80 - 100 g . From São Paulo. 110 - 130 days. Available : ISLA, SAKATA Seed Sudamerica Ltda.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Morro Redondo’	Bitter round dark-green fruits about 1/4 of the size of a medium size eggplant. From São Paulo. Available : Possibly from Johnny's Selected Seeds.
Solanum macrocarpon L. (Mukono Group)	‘Mukono’	see African Seed Trade Association
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘N’Drowa Issia’	Sweet fruits 5 cm diameter 70 - 80 g. From Ivory Coast. Available :  Graines Baumaux
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘N’Drowa’	Non bitter yellowish- green slightly ribbed fruits on very vigorous plants. 55 - 60 days. Available :  Technisem
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘N’Galam’	Slightly bitter Light-green to white fruits, variable in size according to conditions.120-180 g. 65 - 75 days. Available :  Technisem
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘N’Goyo’	Bitter dark-green fruits, variable in size according to conditions. 70-120 g. 60 80 days. Available :  Technisem, Graines Baumaux
Solanum macrocarpon L. (Nabingo Group)	‘Nabingo’	see African Seed Trade Association
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Português ’	8 -10 cm thick fruits 80 - 100 g. From Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro. 110 - 130 days. Available :  SAKATA Seed Sudamerica Ltda.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘Red China’ aka ‘Scarlet Chinese’ aka ‘Rouge de Chine’	Fruits 0.75 to 1 inches long by 2 to 2.5 inches wide. Mildly bitter at orange stage, too bitter for most tastes when red. Spiny plant. 50days. Available: Sand Hill Preservation Center - Canada, Amishland Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Cross Country Nurseries
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Red Egg’	Available :  Graines Baumaux
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘Red Ruffled’ aka ‘Hmong Red’	2 inches fruits
Solanum aethiopicum L. (? Group)	‘Red Skin’	Available :  Eden Seeds
Solanum macrocarpon L.	‘Sarpeiman’	Fruits only are consumed. From Ghana.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘Small Ruffled Red’	Small, deeply creased fruits, about 5 cm in diameter, with orange-red skin, 2" fruits are born in clusters on 20" plants. Fruits are bitter, but used extensively in Asian cuisine. Available : Seed Savers Exchange.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Sodefel’	A cultivar from the Ivory Coast.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Striped Nigerian’	Fruits are described as oval-shaped striped with green and red. From Nigeria.	('Striped Tioga' a look alike)
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group)	‘Super N'Drowa’	Sweet ivory-white round fruits on very vigorous plants. 55 - 60 days. Available :  Technisem
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Sweet African Egg’ aka ‘Sweet African Orange’	4 inches (10 cm) oval or round fruits maturing from white to shiny orange-red. on plants 2.5 feet (76 cm) tall.90 days. Available :  Terroir Seeds LLC.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Aculeatum Group) Synonym : Solanum integrifolium Poiret	‘Sweet Red ’ aka ‘Sweet Orange’	Small, attractive fruits, about 2.5 cm in diameter, green skinned with dark-green stripes, turning red with dark-red stripes at maturity, Available :  no known source.	Seems to have disappeared. We could no longer find it on the market.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (? Group)	‘Tengeru White ’	Round, half green, half white fruits.
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group)	‘Tinguá’ aka ‘Tingua Verde Claro’ aka  ‘Jiló Tinguá Verde Claro’	Plant is heavy yielder. Fruits consumed green, mature to orange and red. From Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro Available :  Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Kokopelli, ISLA
Solanum aethiopicum L. (Aculeatum Group) Synonym : Solanum integrifolium Poiret	‘Turkish Orange’ aka ‘Orange de Turquie’ aka ‘Italian Orange’ Probably not a true synonym	Orange spherical fruits, 6 cm in diameter to tennis-ball size (2.5 to 3 inches). "Excellent sweet taste" to "Bitter taste" depending on picking time. 80 days to 90 days. 4 foot plants bear 15-25 fruits per plant. Available :  Reimer Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Seeds of Change, Chiltern Seeds, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Diggers Seeds Aust., Kokopelli, Amishland Seeds.
Solanum anguivi Lam.	‘Uganda Pea’	Tiny pea size white to green fruits.

Note on the following companies.

A number of those are part of complex corporate structures and are difficult to contact directly. The main address that we give below is a starting point. We are not sponsored by any of those companies nor do we receive any favour from them apart from the odd catalogue photo. It would be nice to be able to link directly to a gallery or a photo or a description but this is sometimes impossible and practice has taught us that these links never last long anyway because online catalogues are updated regularly and URLs change often. The cultivar numbers relate to all seeds not just African eggplants. When neither O.P. or F1 are mentioned one can assume that all seeds are hybrids. Most companies are more likely to carry a mixture of hybrids and open pollinated cultivars. This is an unfortunate but realistic commercial imperative. 

Amishland Seeds.   (16 O.P.)

Australian Free Seed Ring .O.P.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds . (50 cvs)

British Seeds Ltd.  Japanese page. (26 O.P. cvs)

Chiltern Seeds  . (10 O.P. cvs)

Cross Country Nurseries (seedlings). (53 cvs)

Diggers Seeds Aust.  O.P.

Graines Baumaux . (17 O.P. cvs) + (12 F1 cvs).

ISLA Sementes Ltda.  (3 cvs)

Johnny's Selected Seeds.  (17 F1 cvs) + (1 O.P. cv)

Kokopelli  .  (34 .O.P. cvs)

Reimer Seeds . (62 cvs)

SAKATA Seed Sudamerica Ltda .  ( Portuguese page  ).

Sand Hill Preservation Center  (20 O.P. cvs)

Seed Exchange . 

Seeds of Change . (11 O. P. cvs)

Seed Savers Exchange . (15 O.P. cvs)

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange . O.P. (11 O.P. cvs)

Technisem . (14 cvs)

Terroir Seeds LLC.  otherwise known as Underwood Gardens. (4 O.P. cvs)

Trade Winds Fruit USA. Edible (18 cvs), Ornamental (4 spp.)

Appendixes

The vernacular / common names below are most unreliable. They are given here to give hints on "what it could be" but not "what it is". The purpose of the MMPND is actually to sort the valid names from the others, a process that will go on until 2020 and most likely beyond.

A mini lexique of  African names

Chungu (Swahili)  = African eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L.)
Djakattou = French rendering of Western African name for African eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group))

Djakhattou = French rendering of Western African name for African eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group))
Diakatu = Solanum incanum L. 

Enjagi (Uganda) = Bitter berries ((Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group))

Entula enganda (Uganda) = Bitter berries ((Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group))

Entura (Uganda) = Bitter berries ((Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group))

Gboma = applied to either Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. or Solanaceous  macrocarpon Poir.

Jagi (Uganda) = Bitter berries ((Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. (Gilo Group))

Jakhatou  = French rendering of Western African name for African eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L. (Kumba Group))

Jagatú tunga = Portuguese rendering of African name for African eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L.)

Nakati (Uganda) = Leaves of scarlet eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L.)

Nakati nume y'akyalo (Uganda) = (Solanaceous  macrocarpon Poir.)

Ngogwe (Swahili)  = African eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L.)

Nyanya chungu (Swahili)  = African eggplant (Solanaceous  aethiopicum L.)

Vergans (Uganda) = (Solanaceous  macrocarpon Poir.)

Suggestions, corrections, additions welcome.

Acknowledgements:

I wish to acknowledge the kind cooperation of many colleagues mentioned throughout this article and mostly all my flickr contacts who have provided useful comments and many of those beautiful photos. Thank you very much to all. This proves once more that with a little cooperation we can achieve a lot more than with court cases.

References:

Agnieszka Sękara, Stanisław Cebula, Edward Kunicki, 2007, Cultivated eggplants – origin, breeding objectives and genetic resources, a review. FOLIA HORTICULTURAE  Ann. 19/1, 2007, 97-114. Department of Vegetable Crops Agricultural University in Kraków, Poland. < http://www.ptno.ogr.ar.krakow.pl/Pobrania/download.php?action=save&id=197& cat=fh19012007  >. PDF file. *****

AllPenang.com, 2007, Multilingual List of Vegetables available in the Penang Wet Market. < http://malaysian-cuisine.com/touristinfo/wet_market-vegetables.htm >.

Bukenya, Z. R. and J. B. Hall. 1987. Six cultivars of Solanum macrocarpon (Solanaceae) in Ghana. Euphytica 17(1): 91-5.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences - Cornell University. Interesting evaluations of most eggplants cultivars on the market by subscribers. < http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/mainSearch/showAll.php?ID=23&sortBy=overallrating&order=DESC&searchIn=1 >.

Elizabeth Byanjeru Rubaihayo, Conservation and use of traditional vegetables in Uganda < http://www.bioversityinternational.org/publications/Web_version/500/ch15.htm >.

Ethiopian Plant Names < http://www.ethiopic.com/aplants.htm >.

Guillet Dominique, 2007, Semences de Kokopelli, 7th Edition. Edition La Voix des Semences. pp.452 - 463.

International ECPGR Eggplant Database. Botanical and Experimental Garden, Radboud University Nijmegen,  The Netherlands. EGGNET  (EGGplant genetic resources NETwork), a project funded by the European Union. The project is coordinated by Ms. Marie-Christine Daunay, Unité de génétique & amélioration des fruits et légumes, INRA, Montfavet, France. < http://www.bgard.science.ru.nl/eggnetdb2/ >. See below for more details.

Medicinal Plants of Myanmar. < http://www.tuninst.net/MyanMedPlants/TIL/famS/Solanaceae.htm#Solanum-spp >.

M.M.P.N.D. For all nomenclatural details we refer you to our page on Eggplants.

Natural History Museum. Solanaceae Source - A global taxonomic resource for the nightshade family. < http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/solanaceaesource/taxonomy/list.jsp >.

PROTA < http://database.prota.org/ >.

The following reference pages from PROTA contain far more colour photos and details on all aspects of the species treated above. We have considered the information on these pages as our main references because they contain far more details than any other source. *****

Bukenya-Ziraba, R., 2004. Solanum anguivi Lam. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 18 April 2009.

Lester, R.N. & Seck, A., 2004. Solanum aethiopicum L. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 18 April 2009.

Bukenya-Ziraba, R. & Bonsu, K.O., 2004. Solanum macrocarpon L. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 18 April 2009.

Schippers, R.R., 2004. Solanum torvum Sw. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 18 April 2009.

Seeds / Plants sources  /  Useful contacts

African Seed Trade Association  (AFSTA)
P. O. Box 2428 - 00202, Nairobi, Kenya |
Tel; +254 20 2727860/853
Email: afsta@afsta.org

EGGNET  (EGGplant genetic resources NETwork).
The seed savers of the world keep trying to design a suitable database of eggplants (among many other crops) but the existing formal sites already have such things. It could be argued that these official dBases are not exactly matching the needs of the average person but one should be aware of them as references in some circumstances. Two such web-based databases with search forms are: the EGGNET related (http://www.bgard.science.ru.nl/WWW-IPGRI/eggplant.htm) and the Radboud University Solanaceae database (http://www.bgard.science.ru.nl/solanaceae), more succint in its presentation, easier to manage and consult for the average reader. All these are interlinked so no matter how you approach the network you'll get access to all the data. In addition, the serious researcher will find plenty of reference material from these two organisations. The Solanaceae Literature database  from the Radboud University Botanical and Experimental Garden with its EGGNET  access. Again these resources are interlinked with the rest of the network.

Natural History Museum - London U.K. ,  Solanaceae Source - Global Taxonomic Resource for the Nightshade Family. by Dr. Michael Nee. A work licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

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E-mail : technisem@technisem.com 

Technisem Asia Pty Ltd

Stephane Gorin, General Manager

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Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

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e-mail pers.: ptquyen@hcm.vnn.vn

 Note 1   Mahyco have produced a BT eggplant (the eggplant is genetically "combined" with a bacterium gene). Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) is a fatal pathogen of a troublesome pest of the eggplant in India and other tropical regions of the world. In sustainable conditions that same bacterium would be spread over the crop. The best example of this is "Dipel". The bacterium in this commercial product is a pathogen specific to the white cabbage butterfly. Closely related bacteria are probably as deadly to other pests. The debate "spraying a biological control versus genetically engineering a crop plant" is purely based on economics and very much in the economic rationalism frame of mind. The future will tell if this is an environmental mistake or not. A photo of this GE or GM eggplant and details in both Hindi & English can be found in this article.

This article "India bans GE eggplant" by Jude Fanton (23/02/2010) shades more light on the subject.

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