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Devil's fig (Solanum torvum)

In NSW, devil's fig is an environmental and agricultural weed that competes with native plants and pasture grasses. It can form dense thickets and its fruit may contain toxins harmful to people and animals.

Key facts

Type: Weed, shrub.

Native to: Central and South America.

Established in: QLD, NSW, SA, WA, NT.

Other names: Turkey berry.

Best time to act: Flowers are present all year, and herbicide guidance recommends spraying actively growing plants.

Identification

  • It is an erect perennial shrub that can grow up to 3 m tall.
  • Leaves are hairy, up to 30 cm long, and oval or lobed, with up to seven blunt lobes.
  • White, star-shaped flowers have five petals and grow in clusters of 15 to 100.
  • Round berries are 12 to 17 mm wide, ripening from green to yellowish green or yellow, and turning black when dry.
  • Stems may have scattered prickles, and young stems and leaves can be prickly.
  • Look-alike: Giant devil's fig (Solanum chrysotrichum) grows taller, has larger leaves, more stem prickles and brown hairs on new growth.
  • Look-alike: Tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum) is shorter, has generally wider leaves and larger fruit mottled when immature; its flower clusters have up to six flowers and its prickles are usually longer.

Where it grows

In NSW it occurs in the North Coast region, with a few plants recorded on the central coast of the Greater Sydney region, in places including gardens, forest margins, waterways, pastures and disturbed sites.

Why it matters

  • It competes with native plants and can reduce shelter and food for native animals.
  • Dense thickets can restrict the movement of people and animals, and the plant can compete with pasture grasses, reducing productivity.
  • Fruit can contain varying amounts of toxins, and eating it has been associated with severe symptoms including respiratory failure.

How it spreads

  • Birds, flying foxes and other animals eat the fruit and spread seeds in their droppings.
  • Seeds also spread in water and contaminated soil.
  • People have intentionally planted it in gardens for its fruit or as rootstock for eggplants; unmanaged rootstock can fruit.

Control options

  • Wear protective clothing to guard against stem prickles.
  • Dig out seedlings and small plants; cut down larger plants and dig up the roots.
  • Do not leave roots or cut plant parts on the ground, as they may regrow; collect and dispose of fruit to reduce follow-up work.
  • For chemical control, use registered herbicides according to the label and any permit conditions; fruit may be burnt in a hot fire, with the burn site checked for seedlings.

Hygiene and washdown

  • Seeds spread in contaminated soil, so avoid moving soil that may contain seed from infested areas.
  • Inspect and clean vehicles, plant and footwear before leaving an infested area, paying attention to tyres, radiators, belly plates, tracks and floor mats.
  • Wash down at a designated bay where runoff is contained and can be monitored for seedlings.
  • Record each washdown so the client has evidence of clean entry and exit.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: Regional priority in 1 of 11 regions. Regional priority weed in North Coast. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Not declared. Not declared under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. Other laws may still apply.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1), prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. It must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Not declared. Not a declared weed in Tasmania. Other laws may still apply.
  • Northern Territory: Check NT list. There is no NT weed profile for it. Check the NT declared weeds list for its current status.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Northern Territory: Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 (NT), administered by NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment

Sources