Botanical name:

Solanum laciniatum

Common name(s):

Poroporo, bullibulli

About:

Also known as poroporo, this plant bears similarities to S. aviculare, but its natural habitat is confined to the main islands ranging from Auckland to Dunedin. The stems exhibit a more purplish hue compared to S. aviculare, while the leaves are a darker green, and the flowers are slightly larger and feature a richer purple colour. It thrives under the same conditions and responds positively to pruning. With its fast growth rate, it is valuable for planting in newly developed areas and offers protection for slower-growing or less hardy species. Its shallow root system allows for easy removal if necessary, once other species have established themselves.

Natural habitat:

Coastal to montane (0-400 m a.s.l.). Usually found in disturbed successional habitats, such as in shrub-lands, gullies, alongside riversides, on forested margins and in reverting pasture. Often appears following fires. A common urban weed in many parts of the country.

Growing environment:

Shade, Sun, Drought, Wetland & Wind tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

New Zealand’s North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Widespread from the Hauraki Gulf Islands and Auckland south. In the northern part of its range actively spreading northwards caused it would seem through establishment through bird dispersal of fruit from garden plantings. Also present in south eastern Australia and Tasmania. Naturalised in parts of China and Russia.

Height: 3m

Flowering: 

Throughout the year with a large white - pink to bluish violet - purple flowers that have a projecting yellow centre.

Fruiting:

Throughout the year with a POISONOUS green fruit.

Uses:

Bird food / Attractant, Bee food & Flowers

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh seed and semi-hardwood cuttings. Tolerant of heavy shade and full sun, and dry or wet soils and cold tolerant. Extremely fast-growing and can become invasive. It should also be noted that, as with all poroporo, the green fruits are extremely toxic.

** Seed germinates without pre treatment. 4 weeks cold stratification will help speed this up though