Jesse Saylor
Family
Solanaceae
Botanical Name
Solanum atropurpureum
Plant Common Name
Purple Devil
General Description
This is a funky looking devil of a plant that people either love or hate. The South American purple devil is a tender perennial in the tomato family that grows as a weed in its native habitat. It has coarse, dark green foliage and stems lined with deep purple spines. Toxic orange fruits are produced in summer. Garden grown specimens are generally raised as tender perennials but in frost-free zones this tropical plant becomes large and shrubby.
Purple devil has showy, deeply lobed leaves and huge, flexible purple spines along the stems that look vicious but are only moderately prickly when touched. When temperatures are hot, it produces clusters of small, tomato-like flowers followed by green, berry-like fruits that turn from green to yellow-orange. The somewhat showy fruits are toxic to ingest and can also irritate the skin.
Grow this unusual ornamental as you would a tomato, offering it full to partial sun, well-drained soil of average fertility and moderate water. Warm temperatures are a must. In fact, purple devil thrives in hot weather. Fruits should be handled with gloves and plants should not be grown in areas where young children might take interest in them. This is a striking tropical for containers as well as mixed summer borders. It looks most attractive when planted with red- and orange-flowered annuals. In frost-free or tropical zones it is fully evergreen and will survive as a perennial. Plants may self-sow.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
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USDA Hardiness Zone
10 - 12
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Plant Type
Tender Perennial
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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Height
3'-7' / 0.9m - 2.1m
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Bloom Time
Indeterminate
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Native To
South America
Ornamental Features
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Flower Interest
Insignificant
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Flower Color
Yellow, Green, Orange
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Fruit Color
Yellow, Orange
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Foliage Color (Spring)
Purple, Dark Green
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Foliage Color (Summer)
Purple, Dark Green
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Foliage Color (Fall)
Purple, Dark Green
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Foliage Color (Winter)
Purple, Dark Green
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Fragrant Flowers
No
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Fragrant Fruit
No
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Fragrant Foliage
Yes
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Bark or Stem Fragrant
Yes
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Flower Petal Number
Single
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Repeat Bloomer
Yes
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Showy Fruit
Yes
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Edible Fruit
No
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Showy Foliage
Yes
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Foliage Texture
Coarse
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Foliage Sheen
Matte
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Evergreen
Yes
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Showy Bark
No
