Bush tomatoes are the fruit or entire plants of certain nightshade (Solanum) species native to the more arid parts of Australia. While they are quite closely related to tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), they might be even closer relatives of the eggplant (S. melongena), which they resemble in many details. There are 94 (mostly perennial) natives and 31 (mostly annual) introduced species in Australia.[1]
Bush tomato plants are small shrubs whose growth is encouraged by fire and disturbance.[1]
The fruit of a number of species have been used as food sources by Aboriginal people in the drier areas of Australia.[1]
A number of Solanum species contain significant levels of solanine and as such are highly poisonous.[1] It is strongly recommended that people unfamiliar with the plant do not experiment with the different species, as differentiating between them can often be difficult.
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