Family: Solanaceae
Latin name: Solanum spp.
Vernacular name: Cocona, coconillo, cocona dulce, cocona grande
Ethnobotany
The tart, juicy fruits are squeezed to make beverages, and commonly used in pepper sauces and relishes that are eaten with meat or fish. Boiled, strained juice is popular in urban areas, as are cocona jams. High in vitamin C, the fruits are eaten to cure snake bite, or applied to the wound as plasters. Some people cook the fruit first and then apply it to the snake bite. Cocona fruits can be as small as cranberries, or as large as an apple.
Agroforestry
Cocona prefers to grow on bare ground, and is usually planted immediately after the burn. Fruits are often left to rot before planting in order to aid seed germination. Where people defecate the plants can be very common.
These thin-skinned coconillo fruits are smaller and sweeter than cocona.
Cocona can be as large as apples.
Cocona is often attacked by leaf eating insects.
