and Gautier-Béguin 2001). In Tamil Nadu, India, the fruit is consumed directly, or as cooked food. In siddha medicine, one of the traditional medicine systems of India, an extract of this berry is used to improve digestion. Haitian mythology This fruit is reportedly used in Haitian voodoo rituals. Chemistry Turkey berry contains a number of potentially pharmacologically active chemicals including the sapogenin steroid chlorogenin. Aqueous extracts of turkey berry are lethal to mice by depressing the number of erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets in their blood (Tapia and others 1996). Extracts of the plant are reported to be useful in the treatment of hyperactivity, colds and cough, pimples, skin diseases, and leprosy. Methyl caffeate, extracted from the fruit of S. torvum, shows an antidiabetic effect in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Cholinergic poisoning has been reported as a result of the consumption of Solanum torvum berries prepared in Jamaican dishes. Hybrids Turkey berry is being crossed with eggplant in an attempt to incorporate genes for resistance to Verticillium wilt into the vegetable (Bletsos and others 2001). Synonyms and systematics Several other Solanum species have at one time been included in S. torvum as subspecies or varieties: Solanum bahamense of Carl Linnaeus (as var.? persicifolium) Solanum chrysotrichum of von Schlechtendal (as var. pleiotomum) Solanum ferrugineum (as var. ferrugineum, var. hartwegianum) Solanum lanceolatum of Cavanilles (as var. schiedeanum) Solanum macaonense (as var. lasiostylum) Solanum rudepannum (as var. fructipendulum, var. ochraceo-ferrugineum) Solanum scuticum (as ssp./var. brasiliense, var. daturifolium, var. genuinum) Also, a number of more or less ambiguous and now-invalid names have been used for S. torvum: Solanum acanthifolium Hort. Par. ex Dunal, in DC. (non Mill.: preoccupied) Solanum acanthifolium of Philip Miller is S. campechiense as described by Carl Linnaeus. Solanum campechiense Hort. Par. ex Dunal, in DC. (non L.: preoccupied) Solanum crotonoides Michx. ex Dunal, in DC. (non Lam.: preoccupied) Solanum crotonoides of Sieber from Presl is S. lanceifolium as described by von Jacquin. Solanum ficifolium Ortega Solanum heterophyllum Balb. ex Dunal, in DC. (non Lam.: preoccupied) Solanum heterophyllum of Lamarck is S. subinerme Solanum largiflorum C.T.White Solanum maccai Bertero ex Dunal, in DC. (non Dunal in Poir.: preoccupied) Solanum maccai of Dunal in Poiret is S. stramoniifolium as described by von Jacquin. Solanum mammosum Herb. ex Dunal, in DC. (non L.: preoccupied) Solanum mammosum of Pavón Jiménez from Dunal in de Candolle is S. circinatum. Solanum mannii C.H.Wright Solanum mannii var. compactum of