apple of Sodom
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
[edit] Noun
apple of Sodom (plural apples of Sodom)
- Mythical plant of the Medieval world: gigantic tree which grew in the desolated area where once stood Sodom & Gamorrah. Any traveler of the region foolish enough to pick one of the apples would have it turn to smoke and ashes in his hand - a sure sign of God's eternal displeasure with those who would succumb to physical temptation at the site of His retribution.
- (Latin: Solanum linnaeanum) An erect spreading shrub. Green purplish-brown stems with straight or slightly curved prickles. Leaves are hairy and deeply lobed with prickles along the stalks. Flowers are mauve or violet. Fruit is a round yellow berry which is poisonous. Grows in coastal sands, poor pasture and scrub margins. Dense patches compete with other vegetation and restrict stock movement.
