Wonderberry and Chichiquelite

Some preface is needed in discussing Wonderberry and Chichiquelite. Wonderberry or Sunberry is a plant whose classication is shrouded with controversy.  Basically, Luther Burbank was a famous botanist who claimed to have bred a hybrid variety named Solanum burbankii in which he sold to a seedsman back here in the states. Modern science has allowed us to look at the DNA of these plants, and it turns out by looking at the stabilization of the hybrid phenotype, and the ploidy of the chromosomes, it is likely to be a plant native to Africa called S. retroflexum.

Chichiquelite is a common name used for S. scabrum(originating from africa) and also possibly incorrectly named as S. nigrum(The Black Nightshade originating from Europe.)  Still others call S. scabrum a Garden Huckleberry, which others insist is actually S. melanocerasum. I purchased these seeds from a great online store called Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, check under their garden berries section.  They refer to the Chichiquelite as S. nigrum, but still refer to the Wonderberry as S. burbankii. More research is needed on the phenotypes to figure out which species my Chichiquelite really is.

This first picture is of the Wonderberry, followed by a picture of its thick root system.  The last picture is of the Chichiquelite, note the crinkled leaf which occurs on both the S nigrum and the S scabrum. It is easy to understand the confusion.