I read occasionally Eggplants can have thorns on leaves, a throwback to wild eggplant. Some varieties are more prone to this occurring . I have tried growing MANY varieties but never got any thorns on leaves. I'm asking if anyone body has gotten thorny eggplant if they could save a few seeds to give me so I can grow spiny eggplant. White eggplant preferred but any with thorns are ok. Photo below an example.

Bumping this up

I have grown some that do that, but I think it may do with conditions as well. Don't remember which they were, may have been Ping Tung, but that was many years back. Maybe Fairy Tale...

https://www.carnivorousplantso...

When searching... I find lots of mention of thorns on various forums... lots of pictures... but when I go to the seed catalogues, no pictures of thorns... This seems to be a trait hybridizers find undesirable...

While the litchi tomato is marketed as a thorny plant... the eggplant?
not finding it... reckon you'll have to plant a bunch of seed, and save the seed of the ones with the desirable trait.

https://www.rareseeds.com/eggp...

Never heard of eggplants with thorns on their leaves. Can I ask... why are you looking for them, are they special in some way? I have grown 'ping tung' (great eggplants) for several years and they were never thorny.

I have not grown them but I have noticed several complaints about the thorniness of Solanum aethiopicum.
https://www.trueleafmarket.com...

I like Ping Tung Long and Louisiana Long Green, I accept that an eggplant is a solanum so didn't worry about the thorns, haven't tried the S aethiopicum,

SedonaDebbie said: Never heard of eggplants with thorns on their leaves. Can I ask... why are you looking for them, are they special in some way?

I would grow them for the thorns...
I grow a lot of hardy orange... Those thorns are very attractive...
litchi tomatoes have been on my wish list for a while... but they sound difficult...

Devil's claw (Proboscidea louisianica) is another cool plant on my wish list...

Hmmm...
You know... I also have honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) planted in my garden....


Not to mention... Urtica chamaedryoides and Cnidoscolus stimulosus... (I didn't plant those)...

SedonaDebbie said: Never heard of eggplants with thorns on their leaves. Can I ask... why are you looking for them, are they special in some way? I have grown 'ping tung' (great eggplants) for several years and they were never thorny.

I'm trying to develop a hardier eggplant that is much like its wild ancestors, thorny leaves and fruit. This is also a protective feature against the beetles that eat eggplants and can destroy a crop, as they avoid the plants with thorns. I also heard thorns aid in slower dehydration in drought times, eggplant originate from Africa.

I have grown some eggplants with thorns on the fruit, but so far none or very few on the leaves. The thorn on the leaves I had do hurt! I've tried all varieties mentioned and they had no thorns at all. Maybe seed saving each year is the best way selecting the thorniest plants.

I am no pro, but seems to me, a bug would walk around a Thorn just as I would walk around a sign post in my way. Just doesn't seem realistic to me. Good luck.

Have you tried hybridizer's forums?
Seems like you could get responses closer to your goals at a breeder's forum...
check this one:
https://opensourceplantbreedin...

sallyg said: I am no pro, but seems to me, a bug would walk around a Thorn just as I would walk around a sign post in my way. Just doesn't seem realistic to me. Good luck.

Read these it explains everything
https://healthy-food-near-me.c...

https://royalsocietypublishing...

Fascinating! Thanks for clarifying the reasoning.