Solanum tomentosum curving sepals on the fruit

The fruit of Solanum tomentosum is a brightly coloured, spherical berry; orange or nearly red when ripe. A fruit is up to 2 cm in diameter. Bluntly pointed sepal tips may curve away from the back of the fruit.

The mauve, purple or blue flowers produced in small, axillary clusters are five-petalled, spreading widely into a star-shape. Occasional white flowers are seen. The corolla diameter is about 1 cm. Flowering occurs in spring or after summer rain.

Pollen is released through an opening on the anther when the wing vibrations of visiting insects reach a certain frequency. This “buzz pollination” prevents pollen wastage when there are no suitable pollinators nearby (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010; Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008; www.kew.org).