EGGPLANT

There is great variation in eggplant fruits, from the common large purple to the pea-sized yellow ones of Thailand. The first eggplants grown in England were small and egg-shaped, hence their English name. They are called Aubergine in France and Brinjal in India.

Plant Names
Botanical Family: 
SOLANACEAE
Common Name: 
EGGPLANT
Genus: 
??
Species: 
??
About the Name: 

solanum is Latin for "nightshade", macrocarpon is large fruit, melongena is Greek for "sprung from a fruit tree", aethiopicum means Ethiopia. The first of these is the large eggplant, the second is the African, which is small and the third is the Asian one that is bright orange or red, and is often called tomato-fruited.

Origins: 

The purple eggplant now so common was domesticated in India and Burma; it had arrived in China by the 4th century. The Arabs introduced Europeans to the delights of eggplant in the 7th century.

Plant Description: 

There is great variation in eggplant fruits, from the common large purple to the pea-sized yellow ones of Thailand. The first eggplants grown in England were small and egg-shaped, hence their English name. They are called Aubergine in France and Brinjal in India.

Variety Notes: 

Round and long, purple and white varieties are grown by Middle Eastern peoples. A great diversity of green and yellow varieties, ranging from tiny ones like a bunch of grapes to enormous fruits, are to be found in Asian-Australian gardens.
For short-summer areas, Early Long Purple is the best. Black Beauty and New York Spineless (probably not "the" original strain) are standard varieties.

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