Solanum lyratum

Solanum lyratum is a perennial climbing or scrambling herb of the family Solanaceae, widespread in East and Southeast Asia, where it grows in thickets, hedgerows, forest margins, and disturbed ground. The slender, soft stems are densely covered with spreading multicellular hairs and may reach two to three metres as they clamber over surrounding vegetation. The leaves are variable, the lower ones often distinctively lyre-shaped or pinnately lobed with one or two pairs of small basal lobes, while upper leaves may be simple and ovate. Small star-shaped flowers with reflexed white petals and a protruding cone of yellow anthers are borne in branched cymes. The fruit is a small, smooth, spherical berry that ripens from green to bright red. The plant contains steroidal glycoalkaloids, including solanine, and is regarded as toxic if eaten raw.