Common Name: Bitter brinjal, Poison berry. Tamil Name: Karimulli
Bitter brinjal is common road side shrub seen in Tamilnadu and grows to a height of about 2 meters. The plant is seen covered with soft white hairs and has prickles (length 4-5 mm) all over. The leaves are shallowly lobed and are arranged in an alternate manner; the leaf margin is entire and wavy. The leaf stalk and leaf length measure around 1.2 cm and 4 cm respectively. The upper leaf surface is light green in color; the lower surface is whitish green. The leaf nerves are exposed on the lower side: prickles are seen on leaf nerves on both sides of the leaf surface. The flowers are axillary generally only one or two flowers are seen on the axis. The petiole is hairy and 9 mm long. The calyx is fused; 6 sepal teeth are seen; and have yellowish greenish prickles on them. The flower (2.5 cm across) is pale blue in color with five triangular corolla segments fused to form a flat flower. The fruit is round green in color with whitish markings. The fruit is seen along with the prickly calyx elements attached to it. The fruit ripe into a yellow colored berry and measure around 3.5 cm; the seeds are yellow in color. The plant is often seen on roadsides in Coimbatore: at times leafless only with fruits.
