Distribution
Originally from coastal Brazil, but now commonly naturalized in western Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, Florida, Hawaii, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, China, India, Sri Lanka and in South-East Asia in Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Java; to be expected elsewhere.
Observations
A perennial, slightly woody, prickly herb up to 100 cm tall, stem and leaves glabrous or sparsely pilose with simple hairs; leaves broadly ovate to ovate-cordate, pinnately 5-7-lobed, 4.5-18 cm x 4-12 cm, cordate at base, apex acute; inflorescence extra-axillary, racemose, 1-7-flowered, on a short peduncle; calyx campanulate, 4-5 mm long, shortly glandular hairy, corolla rotate, about 3 cm in diameter, white, lobes lanceolate, anthers narrowed towards the apex, about 6 mm long, with apical pores; fruit solitary or sometimes 2-3 together, globose to depressed globose, 2.5-3 cm in diameter, glabrous, orange-red when mature, calyx slightly enlarged; seeds strongly flattened, winged all around, 4-6 mm in diameter. Solanum capsicoides is a common weed of slightly shaded places, along hedges, sugar-cane fields and roadsides up to 1500 m altitude.
Selected Sources
[97] Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
[202] Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I-Z) pp. 1241-2444.
[287] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948-1976. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials & industrial products. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, New Delhi, India.
[320] Daunay, M.-C., Lester, R.N. & Laterrot, H., 1991. The use of wild species for the genetic improvement of brinjal egg-plant (Solanum melongena) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). In: Hawkes, J.G., Lester, R.N., Nee, M. & Estrada, N. (Editors): Solanaceae III: Taxonomy, chemistry, evolution. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond & The Linnean Society of London, London, United Kingdom. pp. 389-412.
[580] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesiƫ [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
[873] Liu, Y.-C. & Ou, C.-H., 1978. Solanaceae. In: Li, H.-L., Liu, T.-C., Huang, T.-C., Koyama, T. & DeVol, C.E. (Editors): Flora of Taiwan. Vol. 4. Epoch Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. pp. 530-550.
[1016] Nee, M., 1979. Patterns in biogeography in Solanum, section Acanthophora. In: Hawkes, J.G., Lester, R.N. & Skelding, A.D. (Editors): The biology and taxonomy of the Solanaceae. Linnean Society Symposium Series 7. Academic Press, London, United Kingdom. p. 569-580.
[1017] Nee, M., 1991. Synopsis of Solanum section Acanthophora: a group of interest for glycoalkaloids. In: Hawkes, J.G., Lester, R.N., Nee, M. & Estrada, N. (Editors): Solanaceae III: Taxonomy, chemistry, evolution. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & the Linnean Society of London, London, United Kingdom. pp. 257-266.
[1380] Smitinand, T., 1980. Thai plant names. Royal Forest Department, Bangkok, Thailand. 379 pp.
[1652] Zhang, Z.-Y., & Lu, A.-M. & D'Arcy, W., 1994. Solanaceae. In: Wu, Z.-Y. & Raven, P.H. (Editors): Flora of China 17. Science Press, Beijing, China & Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, United States. pp. 300-332.