SPERLI Eierbaum

An aubergine as an ornamental: the egg tree grows 60–80 cm tall, flowers purple and from August bears fruits as an eye-catcher for tubs and pots.

The story

Origins & history

The aubergine comes from tropical Asia, where it has been grown in India and China for a very long time. Arab traders and scholars brought it to the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages. Its name travelled with it: by way of the Arabic “al-bādhinjān” and Catalan, it became our aubergine.

Uses

The egg tree is a decorative tub and pot plant for a warm spot in sun to partial shade on balcony or patio. The fruits are meant as decoration and must not be eaten raw; the other parts of the plant are not for eating either.

Meaning

The plant owes the name egg tree to the aubergines once known in Europe: they bore white, egg-shaped fruits that looked like hen’s eggs. This is also where the English word “eggplant” comes from.

A thought for giving

The egg tree lives for just one summer – and goes through everything in it: germinating, growing, flowering and fruiting. A whole life in a single year, leaving nothing out.

At a glance

• Contents: 1 packet for approx. 15 plants
• Botanical name: Solanum melongena
• Life cycle: annual
• Height: 60–80 cm
• Position: sunny, partial shade
• Suitable for containers: yes (container, pot)
• Sow indoors: February–May
• Harvest: August–October
• Sowing depth: 0.5–1 cm
• Germination temperature: 20–25 °C
• Germination time: 14–21 days
• Plant spacing: 40 cm
• Row spacing: 40 cm
• Seed type: loose seed

How to sow

1. Start indoors from February to May, in seed compost in the Anzuchthaus PRO24 propagator.
2. Sow seeds 0.5–1 cm deep; at 20–25 °C they germinate in 14–21 days.
3. Keep the seedlings bright and warm.
4. From mid-May, plant into tubs or pots with Chili- & Paprikaerde (chilli and pepper compost), in sun to partial shade, spacing 40 × 40 cm.

Delivery time: 1–2 weeks. Manufacturer: SPERLI GmbH. Seeds, not a plant – the image shows the original packet.

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