Easter Egg Plant (Solanum ovigerum): Ornamental Nightshade

Easter egg plant (Solanum ovigerum) is a fascinating annual in the nightshade family, related to tomatoes, angel trumpet, and Jerusalem cherry. Its fruit closely resembles a hen’s egg—starting white, turning yellow, then brown—but is not edible.

Growing Tips

• Grow as a warm-season annual.
• Save seeds from mature fruit as they wither on the plant.
• Sow seeds next spring for a new crop.

Don’t Confuse with Edible Eggplant

Some culinary eggplant varieties (Solanum melongena) also produce small white fruit, but Easter egg plant is purely ornamental. The plant’s appeal lies in its egg-like fruit that delights children and garden visitors alike.

Collect seeds in fall, store cool and dry, and replant in spring for another season of “eggs” in the garden.