| | Eggplants are believed to be native of the far east, India or perhaps southern China. They got their name from a common variety which produced small, white fruits resembling eggs. Cultivated throughout the world they are known by different names and comes in a number of varieties. It contains vitamin c and potassium. The ornamental looking plant grows as a small bush up to 1.5 m high. The leaves are large, alternate and lobed, with the underside of most varieties covered with dense wool-like hairs. The flowers are violet-colored and star-shaped, and bloom either as a solitary or in clusters of two or more. The fruit can vary in shape from oval to round or cylindrical and long to oblong. The color of the mature fruit is typically purple to purple-black, but can also be red, yellowish-white, white or green. |