Solanum linnaeanum showing brown fruit

A late stage of the Solanum linnaeanum fruit is coloured in several shades of brown as in the photo. This comes after colour transformation from green and yellow, while the shine is still there.

It is safe and advisable to avoid eating the often attractively coloured fruits of unidentified Solanum plants, as several of them, including this species is poisonous.

Notable exceptions are the aubergine or eggplant and the tomato. The fruits of the potato, another famous Solanum, are again inedible, while their tubers form one of the most important staple foods on earth (Manning, 2007; Wikipedia; iSpot).