Tropical soda apple
Solanum viarum
Biosecurity Queensland must be contacted within 24 hours of sighting, call: 13 25 23.
family
Family
origin
Origin
declaration
Category 1 Restricted Matter (Biosecurity Act 2014)
Category 1 – must be reported to a Queensland Government inspector within 24 hours
Tropical soda apple is a major pest in Florida, where it has invaded at least 500,000ha of land and costs landholders millions of dollars each year in control costs and lost production. Queensland has only a small number of isolated tropical soda apple infestations, but the species has the potential to become a pest in coastal and subcoastal Queensland., Tropical soda apple is a prohibited invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014.
Impact
Impact
It reduces biodiversity by displacing native plants and disrupting ecological processes. Its foliage is unpalatable to livestock, thus reducing carrying capacities, however cattle eat the fruit and spread viable seeds in manure. Thorny thickets of this plant create a physical barrier for animals preventing access to shade and water. The plant is a host for many diseases and pests of cultivated crops, and it contains solasodine which is poisonous to humans.
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
It reduces biodiversity by displacing native plants and disrupting ecological processes. Its foliage is unpalatable to livestock, thus reducing carrying capacities, however cattle eat the fruit and spread viable seeds in manure. Thorny thickets of this plant create a physical barrier for animals preventing access to shade and water. The plant is a host for many diseases and pests of cultivated crops, and it contains solasodine which is poisonous to humans.
