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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Terrestrial Invasives / Terrestrial Plants / Tropical Soda Apple

Tropical Soda Apple

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Tropical soda apple
Tropical soda apple, foliage - Photo by Karan Rawlins; University of Georgia
Scientific Name: 
Solanum viarum Dunal (ITIS)
Common Name: 
Tropical soda apple
Native To: 
South America (Waggy 2009)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
First discovered in 1988 (Waggy 2009)
Means of Introduction: 
Probably through contaminated seed or other agricultural products (Waggy 2009)
Impact: 
Crowds out native species and forage for livestock (Waggy 2009)

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Tropical Soda Apple
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.
Pest Tracker - Survey Status of Tropical Soda Apple
USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Federally Regulated

Noxious Weeds Program
USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.

Includes species listed as a Federal Noxious Weed under the Plant Protection Act, which makes it illegal in the U.S. to import or transport between States without a permit.

Images

Google Images - Tropical Soda Apple
Google.
Invasive.org - Tropical Soda Apple
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Tropical Soda Apple Identification
Google. YouTube; University of Florida.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Tropical Soda Apple.

Partnership
Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - Fact Sheet: Solanum viarum

USDA. APHIS. PPQ. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology; California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Global Invasive Species Database - Solanum viarum (shrub)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Tropical Soda Apple
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Solanum viarum
CAB International.
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) - Solanum viarum
USDA. FS. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.
Texas Invasives Database - Solanum viarum
TexasInvasives.org.
The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - Tropical Soda Apple

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

TISI Inventory - Tropical Soda Apple
Texas State University System. Texas Invasive Species Institute.
Federal Government
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Solanum viarum
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
PLANTS Database - Tropical Soda Apple
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Solanum viarum

USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

International Government
NSW WeedWise: Tropical Soda Apple
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Australia).
Invasive Plants: Prohibited Invasive Plants - Tropical Soda Apple

Business Queensland (Australia).

State and Local Government
Tropical Soda Apple (Solanum viarum Dunal) Identification and Control (May 2004) (PDF | 127 KB)
Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce.
See also: Noxious Weeds - Publications and Surveys for more resources
Invasive Species: Tropical Soda Apple

Alabama Forestry Commission.

Noxious Weeds - Solanum viarum

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Division of Plant Industry.

Academic
Tropical Soda Apple (2018)

Mississippi State University. Extension.

EDIS Topic - Tropical Soda Apple

University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.

Electronic Data Information Source - publication resources
Plant Profile: Solanum viarum

University of Florida. IFAS. Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.

TAME Tropical Soda Apple

University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension. TAME Invasives Portal.

Tropical Soda Apple (Solanum viarum) Identification and Control

Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Citations

  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Solanum viarum. [Accessed Mar 22, 2015].
  • Waggy, M.A. 2009. Solanum viarum. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.