ABSTRACT
The wonderberry is thought to be native to Africa, occurring throughout the continent. It has been introduced as a weed to some parts of Australia and North America. The species is an annual or short-lived perennial. The plant is a hairy herb growing as tall as 80 cm (31 in.). The petals of the small §owers are white, with a yellow to green base, and usually there is a distinctive purple central strip on each petal. The berries are purple (black fruited-forms are sometimes included in the species), 7 to 9 mm (approximately 1/3 in.) in diameter. In Africa, the fruits are eaten both raw and cooked, and the leaves are cooked. The American plant breeder and horticulturist Luther Burbank (1849-1926), introduced the species into the United States as the “sunberry” at the beginning of the twentieth century, and for some time it received acclaim for the preparation of pies, jams, and sauces. Burbank sold the sunberry to John Lewis Childs, who changed the name to wonderberry. A controversy raged for years in the American press regarding just what it was that Burbank had introduced, and his veracity was often questioned. Although Burbank claimed that his wonderberry was a hybrid between the garden huckleberry and Solanum villosum Mill., a weed introduced to North America from southern Europe, it has been demonstrated that this is incorrect.
