Where found:

• Native of South and Central America.
  
• Found especially in disturbed ground, bush burns and wasteland.
  
• Well-drained, fertile site.
  
• Regenerating forest, forest margins.
  

• Small upright shrub, soft-wooded, bushy, leafy perennial. The older stems are woody, brittle and hollow and much branched.
  
• The leaves are elliptical (long oval) up to 150 mm long and 50 mm wide with smooth margins. They get darker green as they age.
  
• The flowers, which occur November-August, are small, green and turn pink in cylindrical clusters up to 7 cm long. The fruits are purple-black, 8 seeded berries about 8 mm in diameter, containing the glossy black seeds up to 25 mm diameter which are spread by birds.
  
• The berries, leaves and roots are poisonous.
• Tolerant of wind, salt.