| Solandra grandiflora | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Genus: | Solandra |
| Species: | S. grandiflora |
| Binomial name | |
| Solandra grandiflora Sw. | |
Solandra grandiflora, theshowy chalicevine, orpapaturra[1] is a member of the nightshade (Solanaceae) genusSolandra and, like the other members of the genus, is aclimbing plant with large, attractive, trumpet-shapedflowers. It is native toCentral America and northernSouth America and is widely grown in the tropics as anornamental.[2] The green parts of the plant are highly toxic (hallucinogenic /delirient in small doses), due totropane alkaloid content,[3] and have caused deaths fromanticholinergic poisoning,[4] but the flesh of the ripe fruit (although not the unripe fruit or seeds) is said to be edible. The fruits, which are globular and largely enclosed by the accrescent calyces, can reach a kilogram in weight and have a taste described as apple-like or melon-like.[2]
Symptoms caused by ingestion of plant parts - even from chewing fragments of flowers - include dryness of throat, headache, weakness, fever,delirium, hallucinations and potentially fatalcirculatory andrespiratory failure.[5]
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