Tropical soda apple arrived in Florida in 1988, almost certainly hitching a ride in contaminated seed stock or the gut contents of Argentine cattle. Within years it had marched through the Southeast, exploiting disturbed pastures and forest edges alike. Growing to 6 feet tall and equally wide, it forms impenetrable thickets armored with three-quarter-inch straight prickles along hairy branches and oversized, oak-shaped leaves. The five-petaled white flowers bloom nearly year-round, with fruit production peaking from September through May.

Each plant can generate up to 200 fruits annually, and cattle eagerly eat them, broadcasting seeds across entire fields. The fruits themselves are striking things: marbled green and white when young, ripening to a clear bright yellow. Solidly in the nightshade family, they are toxic to humans. Any sighting in North Carolina should be reported immediately to the NC Department of Agriculture at 1-800-206-9333. This is a Federal Noxious Weed and a designated invasive species under the NC Invasive Plant Council.