Winter cherry
Solanum pseudocapsicum
Also called Jerusalem cherry, Christmas cherry and Madeira winter cherry
Houseplant · FloweringTHE BERRIES ARE POISONOUS AND LOOK LIKE CHERRY TOMATOES, on a plant sold for Christmas, in houses with children in them. If that is your house, this is the wrong plant — there is no way to make it safe and no amount of care changes it.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 5 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright, with some direct sun
- Feed
- Every 21 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Tender — no frost at all RHS H2, to 1°C
- Size
- 0.5 m tall · 0.4 m across
- Lifecycle
- Shrub
- Origin
- South America
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea, drowsiness and a slowed heart rate.
The berries most of all, and the leaves.
RHS category C — harmful if eaten. The berries look like small tomatoes and the plant is sold at Christmas. There is no way to make it safe in a house with small children.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Fruit falling within days of coming home. It is the warm dry air of a heated room — a cool bright spot keeps them on for months. Pick the fallen ones up the same day.Berries dropping · disorder
- Tiny white moths lifting off when it is knocked, and a sticky shine on the leaves below. It is a Solanum and gets everything a tomato gets.Whitefly · pest