| Solanum sessiliflorum | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Small cocona seedling, a few months old | ||||||||||||||||
| Plant Info | ||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||
| Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal | ||||||||||||||||
Solanum sessiliflorum or cocona is a tropical plant belonging to the Solanaceae family. The cocona plant has sturdy branches and huge, serrate and hairy leaves. Its flowers are like large potato flowers, with light green petals. The fruit of cocona is a red, orange or yellow edible berry. Cocona hails from South America, where it is occasionally cultivated to be used for human consumption.
Cocona can also be grown as an indoor ornamental plant in colder areas, but it seems to be quite sensitive to spider mites, so care should be taken not to keep it in too dry air during winter. During summer, it can be grown outside or in a cold greenhouse. Cocona plant cannot tolerate frost.
Botanical synonyms include Solanum hyporhodium A. Br. & Bouché and Solanum topiro HBK.