Hairy eggplants, botanically classified as Solanum lasiocarpum is a member of the Solanaceae, or Nightshade family. The plant is native to south Asia – India, Sri Lanka; southeast Asia – Kampuchea Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malesia – Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea; southern China – Guangdong, Guangxi, South and southeast Yunnan and Taiwan. It is found in the Bamaga area at the tip of Cape York Peninsula, north Queensland, Australia, possibly an introduced species. Today, Hairy eggplants are available at farmers markets, home gardens, and specialty grocers in Asia, South America, and the United States.

Also known as the Sour eggplant, Hairy Egg Plant, Hairy-Fruited Eggplant, Hairy Nightshade, Indian Nightshade, Terong Asam, Thai Hairy-Fruited Eggplant and Wild brinjal in English, Hairy eggplants has a number of names in other languages including Coconilla, Bura-Bura, Bolo maka, Cocochat, Pupu, Tupido, Pimpla, and Tupirito. The plant is cultivated in tropical Asia, used in food additives for flavoring, and given to the sick as a folk medicine. In India, the locals use the fruit as a sour-relish in curries. In Thailand, a special kind of sauce called nam prek is made with the fruit. The small hairy fruits are occasionally seen in markets cleaned of their spiny exterior or even as a frozen product in ethnic grocery stores and are favored for their sweet and sour passion fruit-like flavor. The plants have also become prolific in everyday front-yard gardens, and because of its popularity, new varieties of Hairy eggplant have been developed that have thorn free vines and leaves.

Hairy Eggplant Facts

Hairy Eggplant Quick Facts
Name:	Hairy Eggplant
Scientific Name:	Solanum lasiocarpum
Origin	South Asia – India, Sri Lanka; southeast Asia – Kampuchea Thailand, Vietnam Laos; Malesia – Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea; southern China – Guangdong, Guangxi, South and southeast Yunnan; and Taiwan
Colors	Initially green when immature, but then ripens to a yellow or orange
Shapes	Small and round fruit, approximately 1-2 centimeters in diameter
Taste	Unique sweet and sour taste
Health benefits	Coughs, asthma, fever, vomiting, sore throat, gonorrhea, female sexual disorders, itches, cuts, wounds and syphilis

Name	Hairy Eggplant
Scientific Name	Solanum lasiocarpum
Native	South Asia – India, Sri Lanka; southeast Asia – Kampuchea Thailand, Vietnam Laos; Malesia – Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea; southern China – Guangdong, Guangxi, South and southeast Yunnan; and Taiwan
Common Names	Hairy Egg Plant, Hairy-Fruited Eggplant, Hairy Nightshade, Indian Nightshade, Terong Asam, Thai Hairy-Fruited Eggplant, Wild brinjal
Name in Other Languages	Bengali: Ram begun Brunei : Tarong Pasai, Tokung Burmese: Kaw-ku-tha, Tarabi Chinese : Mao Ch’ieh, Mao Qie, mao Jia (毛茄), Yáng bù shí (羊不食) English: Indian nightshade, Wild brinjal, hairy-fruited eggplant, French : Aubergine De Siam Ŕ Fruit Hirsute India : Ram Begun Indonesia : Terong Perat, Cung Bulu, Latteoeng, Terong Asam Laotian : Khüa Khôn, Khüa Puux Malay: Dayak eggplant, Sarawak wild eggplant, Sour brinjal, Tarong pasai, Terong asam, Terung asam, Terong iban, Terung dayak, Pokok Terung Bulu Malayalam: Anamodumuttikka, Pechunda, Anachunda, Veluthavazhuthana Malaysia: Terong Berui, Terong Bulu, Terong Asam, Terong Dayak, Terung Iban Myanmar : Nbabawk, Sin-Hkayan, Sin-Kadi, Tarabi, Kaw-Ku-Tha Papua New Guinea : Su, Su-Lamas, Kova-Sakau Philippines : Talong Ayam, Tagutong, Balbalusangi, Basula, Tagatum, Kamadaka, Tarong-Tarong, Dabutung, Dagutung, Talong-Gubat, Talong-Talong, Tarambola, Tarambulo Portuguese: Tomateiro-bravo Sinhala: Mala batu Sri Lanka : Mala-Butu Sudanese: Karundang Tagalog: Tarong tarong Thailand : Mauek, Yang-Khui-Dee, Ma-Khuea-Puu, Ma-Puu Unidentified: Basula, Dabutung, Latteoeng, Tarong ayam Vietnamese : Cà Bung, Cà Du, Cà trái-lông Visayan: Tagatum
Plant Growth Habit	Sub-erect or spreading, lignescent perennial shrub
Growing Climates	Thickets, open forest, disturbed sites in rain forest or monsoon forest, near roads, humid places and wet places in ravines, valleys and forest openings
Plant Size	1–1.5 m tall
Stem	Stems and branches stout, with flat, erect or slightly recurved prickles 1-8 mm
Leaf	Alternate, simple, large, green, 10–20 cm long and 8–18 cm wide pinnately veined, ovate to ovate elliptic, prickly with 4-6 short, broadly triangular lobes on each side, with smaller secondary lobes
Flowering season	Jun-Oct
Flower	Flowers are all bisexual and regular with 4-10 merous. Calyx is broadly campanulate, 6-9 mm wide, 6-9 mm long, the tube 2.5-4.5 mm, the lobes 3-5 mm long and 2.5-5 mm
Fruit Shape & Size	Small and round fruit, approximately 1-2 centimeters in diameter
Fruit Color	Initially green when immature, but then ripens to a yellow or orange and is covered in a fine layer of prickly hair
Seed	Seeds brown, ca. 2 mm in diam
Taste	Unique sweet and sour taste
Season	November-December

Plant Description

A hairy eggplant is a sub-erect or spreading, lignescent perennial shrub that normally grows about 1–1.5 m tall. The plant is found growing in thickets, open forest, disturbed sites in rain forest or monsoon forest, near roads, humid places and wet places in ravines, valleys and forest openings. The stem is hairy, thorny and woody, with upright, spreading branches, sometimes with tinged light or dark purple.

Leaves

The leaf can be characterized as alternate, simple, large, green, 10–20 cm long and 8–18 cm wide pinnately veined, ovate to ovate elliptic, prickly with 4-6 short, broadly triangular lobes on each side, with smaller secondary lobes. The plant has 5-8 cm long petiole with very fine wool like hair. Besides, the upper leaves are usually smaller, narrower, less lobed and often sub-opposite than those at bottom.

Flower

Inflorescences usually short, 0.4-0.9 cm, extra-axillary, often very close to a leaf pair, unbranched, with 6-16 flowers, the distal ones female-sterile, and the axes stellate-pubescent. The flowers are all bisexual and regular with 4-10 merous. Calyx is broadly campanulate, 6-9 mm wide, 6-9 mm long, the tube 2.5-4.5 mm, the lobes 3-5 mm long and 2.5-5 mm, deltoid or broadly ovate-apiculate, abaxially densely sericeous or occasionally felty, the stellae with delicate, elongate midpoints, rays and stalks. Corolla 2.5-3.5 cm in diameter, 7-16 mm long, stellate, thin-textured, white, the tube 5-8 mm, the lobes 6-9 mm long and 3-6 mm wide, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, stellate-pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially. Stamens with filaments ca. 0.1-0.2 mm; anthers 6-8.5 mm long and 1.5-2.2 mm at base, linear-lanceolate, attenuate, connivent, yellow, the pores minute and directed distally. Ovary is pubescent, the hairs appearing simple but with underdeveloped rays at base; style 5-10 mm long and 0.25-0.6 mm wide, cylindrical, glabrous; stigma capitate. Flowering normally takes place in between June and October.

Fruit

Fertile flowers are followed by small and round fruit, approximately 1-2 centimeters in diameter. The tiny eggplant’s outer skin is initially green when immature, but then ripens to a yellow or orange and is covered in a fine layer of prickly hair. The inner pulp has many edible seeds and is also yellow or orange. Hairy eggplants are tangy and have a tropical, floral taste with a crunchy bite. Domesticated plants bear larger fruits and lack the prickly skin that is found in the wild plants. The color found in the center of fruit is light green, like that of Solanum quitoense. Numerous seeds are found that are 2.2-3.5 mm long and 1.75-2.5 mm wide, pale yellow, lenticular, slightly notched, broadly reniform-ovate in outline, the surfaces minutely pitted.

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Hairy Eggplant Image Gallery