Looks like a wild melon, just by the flesh…but with a thorny stem, sounds like the nightshade family…photographs the plant would help to identify …Any farmers you could ask?
Is the unknown fruit edible? Any references found to determine culinary uses? Or herbal medicine?
Interesting, so much like an apple that’s both sour acidic & sweet? Are they crisp & firm like apples or soft like Amelancheir (Aka Serviceberry/Juneberry)?
I think you are right. I know it’s 100% a Solanum species & almost certainly in the Eggplant subgenus (Leptostemonum), specifically in the Section Acanthophora.
Aparently a different species within the same section Solanum mammosum fruit can be eaten like a vegetable when unripe according to Wikipedia. It’s uncertain if the same edibility characteristics transfer to your species (Solanum viraum). As far as I know, They are not edible & likely because of the alkaloids they may contain.
I have no idea why it’s common name is Tropical Soda Apple, that makes it sound delicious! It appears they are suppose to be yellow when fully mature?
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-viarum/
It may however have a usecase to graft any other edible solanums onto (Like Tomato, Potato, Eggplant, Black Nightshade, Pepino Melon, etc.
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Maybe, all valid questions. It all depends on how many tree seeds are saved & sent in. Either way, tree seeds aren’t too difficult to identify even if they are all mixed in. If we get lots of apple seeds, we probably should have 1 for apples. We could have one just for edible fruit trees to seperate it from Nitrogen Soil Builders seed mix. Maybe we could even have a Maple/Birch/Sycamore seed mix for those wishing to make syrup?
I’m not so sure about that, I saved Fully ripe Guava seeds from Yellow Mexican Guavas at the grocery store. They have been stored for 2-3 years & with no signs of deterioration. I bet they will germinate just fine. The tropical seeds that don’t dry well (From my experience) are Indian Jambul Plum (Syzygium cumini) & Some Citrus. Those seeds when fully dried loose viablity because they shrink cotyledons which break-apart easily. My Guava seeds no do that.
I see what you mean, it’s indeed a solanum that kind of resembles a Melothia spp. (Mousemelon/Cucamelon). Good advise on asking local farmers, they would probably know better.
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Nice research…too bad its not really edible. You are amazing looking up taxonomies of plants and trees. Are you a botonist or is this your hobby?
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Okay, good there is hope for the quava seed. I’ll try to get the germination test completed and share the results.
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Thank you! 
Haha… I guess I am at this point. I learned everything I know off the internet + wild foraging myself. I actually joined GTS forums to continue learning even more! I want to be a gardener so badly but since I have no land to do it on, I just spent all the energy & time learning pretty much every single day. Been learning for about 5 years (1 species at a time, + Permaculture & Soil science).
I’m currently learning about all the edible Apiaceae (Carrot) family members, starting with Fennel & Dill. It’s especially important to know what the poisonous look alikes are even if you are only gardening & Not foraging. A poison hemlock seedling may just show up in the garden one day & trow you off.
Also do botanist actually get paid? I’ve always thought it was just a for fun kind of thing, not an actually career.
Bet looking forward to it! As far as I know, they shouldn’t have any frost dormancy like apple/pear seeds do.
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They aren’t very much like apples. The seeds are large, so there isn’t much fruit. The fruit is soft and has a tropical taste. It has a honey-like sweetness when ripe. I believe the fruit is poisonous when immature. I think this is do to arsenic. The seeds are also inedible.
Jerry Irving
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I might consider being the steward. What kind of responsibilities are involved?
Yes, it may take a year before we are ready to share any seeds.
Is this as opposed to edible leaves or edible seeds, or is this in contrast to plants lacking in any edible part?
Yes, edible trees should definitely be separated from the poisonous trees.
Jerry Irving
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Yes, there are many career fields including the study of botany. Plant taxonomy, physiology, ecology, evolution and distribution are all ways to study plant life. The studies are applied to agriculture, conservation, and environmental science for intense study of plant biology. Just like you mentioned about the carrot family …and the poison hemlock flowers looking similar, thats important to know. Propagating and saving seeds from edible cultivars, even if they are wild, is clearly important as well as spot on identification. I prefer to grow edible types of plants and trees without special preparation. It can be the fruits, leaves, bark, roots…something to utilize. The techniques to prepare the edible parts need to be simple procedures to apply in a kitchen…and provide delicious nutrition. Good flavor is my focus and success growing, wether its annual or perennial.
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The best way forward would be to contact Anna and get seed steward information. You can help package seeds, and keep the conversation going about what varieties to include in each years mix. The mix could start with stone fruits for example…just determine a starting point thats manageable.
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Interesting, I wonder How can I put my skills to use?
Taxonomy are just scientific names & understanding “Species” boundaries. To Nature it’s irrelevant but it’s a tool to help us understand.
Evolution is just plant breeding & Adaptation (AKA Landrace gardening). We have the power to rapidly evolve plants thru hybridization, GTS is already doing this.
We have similar goals. Plants should be worth the work it takes to process them. Ideally I want good tasting filling foods that are easy to grow, Harvest, eat & process. Things like easy to cut Squash & Non-Gel Melon seeds are traits to focus on!
Some wild plants already fill a lot of these needs like Lambsquaters Greens, Mayapple fruits, Sweet Cicely greens/flowers, Purslane, etc.
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Understood, for example I wouldn’t be the one to process acorns even though they are edible, once the tanins are soaked out from the seed. Im not there yet…but I have tapped maple trees for sap collection to boil down into maple syrup, when my Dad had the farm. Now, I have made simple syrup from mesquite tree beans that were sweet and tasty. Im thinking it all depends on where you live and who is available to teach the skills to utilize the edible parts from trees.
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Have never heard of honey from mesquite, interesting!
Edit: I meant syrup, not “honey”.
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Yes, the bean pods are sweet, the flour is also sweet and has a likeness to maple syrup flavor. The leftover beans, after the pods are milled, can be soaked to get a sweet tasting liquid that is reduced to a simple syrup…but no extra sugar is added. The variety of mesquite tree is called, "Honey mesquite ". Im not sure of the taxonomy name.
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Same! I’ve never tried eating Oak Acorns. However, I’ve never even tried to make Maple Syrup. All I’ve managed to do was peel a Sugar Maple & River Birch Twige, take an Empty Waterbottle & Poke the Cap thru the Twig. I came back later to find the bottle with Maple or Birch Water. The Maple water was actually slightly sweet & the Birch Water less so, more closer to fresh clean water.
I’m pretty sure it’s just the straight species, not an actually variety of Prosopis glandulosa. Regardless it’s in the Mimosa Clade and I suspect it may be graft compatible with Albizia julibrissin the Silk Tree.
I’m glad that you know how to use it! I’m still learning, so your knowledge was helpful, thank you!
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Thank you for the helpful information. I will contact Anna, and I will let you all know if I decide to be the steward.
Apparently, acorns are much easier to process than what most people think. I found a much easier method using alcohol rather than water to leach out the tannins.
The recipe is as follows:
- Shell the acorns
- Grind the acorns in a blender
- Dry the acorn meal
- Prepare a 40% ethanol and water solution by volume (example: 2 cups 100% ethanol and 3 cups water)
- Add 1 gram of dried acorn meal to every 20 mL of ethanol solution (example: 25 grams of acorn meal in 500 mL of ethanol solution)
- Cook the acorn meal in the ethanol solution at 60°C (140°F) for 3 hours
This method removes at least 80% of the tannins in the acorns.
Here is the YouTube video that shows how to do it:
Jerry Irving
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Ok, sounds easy enough but how would I get primitive ethanol alcohol if I was foraging for a living? Could the process just use water? …im not good at making tinctures as well…
Im still working thru easy tree fruits and nuts with little processing. Im from the northeastern coast and miss deciduous forests…now I’m in the southwest and its really a switch of flora.
I said “honey” and meant syrup 
Honey Mesquite is what grows native in my area also.
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Okay…now I get it… there are several varieties and they all taste different, some are pithy and bitter but apparently edible.
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