Family: Solanaceae (Tomato Family)

Native range: Brazil, Paraguay, and Northern Argentina

Description: An herbaceous perennial that grows to about 6 feet. It has hooked prickles along the stems and rigid, sharp spines on the leaf stems and leaf veins. The deeply-lobed, alternate, simple leaves are about 8 inches long, 6 inches wide, and covered with velvety, soft hairs. Flowers are white with 5 recurved petals and are produced in small clusters along the stems. Fruits are round, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. They are pale green with dark green veining when immature and become yellow when mature. Immature fruit resembles a small, round, striped watermelon. Over 400 seeds can be found in a single fruit.

Ecological threat: Tropical soda apple has begun to spread rapidly in Florida and is a noticeable weed in pastures where it is avoided by grazing livestock. It appears to favor disturbed sites, but has the potential to invade natural areas.

Distribution in Florida: North-central Florida southward, excluding the Florida Keys.

Background: How tropical soda apple gained entry into Florida is unknown, but the first documented record came from Glades County in 1988. It has since spread to at least thirty Florida counties. The sod industry has been a principal distributor of this plant to areas where it did not previously occur, and it has spread along road swales from contaminated hay and grass seed. Animals are known to eat the fruit and are probably responsible for distribution of the seeds as well.