Kangaroo-Apple

solanum laciniatum

Kangaroo-Apple (Solanum laciniatum) is a striking, fast-growing shrub native to the temperate regions of southeastern Australia and New Zealand. Belonging to the nightshade family (Solanaceae), this resilient plant is famous for its deeply lobed, dark green leaves that resemble the footprint of a kangaroo. During the warmer months, it produces a profusion of beautiful violet-purple flowers with bright yellow centers, which later develop into egg-shaped berries. While these berries are highly toxic when green, they turn a vibrant orange when fully ripe and split open, at which point they historically served as a traditional food source for Indigenous peoples. Kangaroo-Apple acts as a pioneer species, quickly colonizing disturbed soils, forest margins, and coastal areas, providing vital shelter and food for local wildlife while showcasing the incredible adaptability of the Solanaceae family.

生息地: Found in coastal areas, wet forest margins, shrublands, and disturbed sites such as roadsides throughout southeastern Australia and New Zealand.

外見

Kangaroo-Apple is a large, spreading shrub that typically grows 100 to 400 centimeters tall, featuring smooth, purplish-green stems. Its most distinctive feature is its foliage: the lower leaves are large and deeply divided into 3 to 9 lance-shaped lobes, resembling a kangaroo's footprint, while upper leaves may be simpler and unlobed. It bears clusters of star-shaped, five-lobed flowers that are intense violet or blue-purple, measuring about 3 to 5 cm across, with prominent yellow anthers at the center. The fruit is an oval, berry-like drupe, roughly 2 to 3 cm long, transitioning from a smooth green to a bright yellow-orange as it matures.

界Plantae門Tracheophyta綱Magnoliopsida目Solanales科Solanaceae属Solanum

Kangaroo-Apple

カテゴリ

植物

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

最初にスナップしよう！

おもしろい事実

Historically, Indigenous Australians used the ripe orange fruits as a food source, but they carefully avoided the green fruits, which are dangerously toxic.

The green, unripe fruits contain high levels of solasodine, a toxic alkaloid used as a base precursor in the manufacture of steroid contraceptives.

The plant's common name comes from the shape of its deeply lobed leaves, which bear a striking resemblance to the three-toed footprint of a kangaroo.

特殊能力

Quickly establishes in disturbed soils, using fast growth to outcompete other plants for sunlight and nutrients after fires or land clearing.

Produces high concentrations of toxic glycoalkaloids, like solasodine, in its unripe fruits and leaves to deter herbivores from consuming them before the seeds are mature.

Produces hardy seeds that can remain dormant in the soil seed bank for years, waiting for a disturbance event to trigger germination.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 100-400 cm
寿命: 5-10 年

食性と食事

As a photoautotrophic plant, the Kangaroo-Apple produces its own food through photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil nutrients.

主な食物

Sunlight
Carbon dioxide
Water
Soil minerals

採餌方法

Photosynthesis

生態系とのつながり

eaten by

Silvereye

Zosterops lateralis

Feeds on the ripe fruit and disperses the seeds across the landscape.

eaten by

Potato Tuber Moth

Phthorimaea operculella

Feeds on the foliage, occasionally causing leaf damage.

mutualism

Large Earth Bumblebee

Bombus terrestris

Visits the violet flowers for pollen collection, facilitating pollination.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Kangaroo-Appleを見分けるには？

Kangaroo-Appleを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Kangaroo-Appleの長さは何ですか？

100-400 cm

Kangaroo-Appleの寿命は何ですか？

5-10 年

Kangaroo-Appleは何を食べますか？

As a photoautotrophic plant, the Kangaroo-Apple produces its own food through photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil nutrients.

Kangaroo-Appleは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found in coastal areas, wet forest margins, shrublands, and disturbed sites such as roadsides throughout southeastern Australia and New Zealand.

Kangaroo-Appleはどのように狩りをしますか？

Photosynthesis