The flyway is between Australia and tropical Asia by way of Malaysia, do I
believe.

Most Solanum species have a mucilaginous pulp rather than a spongy one.

The present connection between Madagascar and continental Africa is by way
of the Comoros and other small island chains between them. There are a
number of fleshy fruited species that have been island hopping by that route
presumably by birds.


Beverly Erlebacher wrote in message
. ..
In article m,
Cereoid+10 wrote:
Also consider that many species of Solanum have fruit that are berries
eaten
by birds and may be carried long distances. Also the seeds are often
imbedded in a mucilaginous pulp that can stick to the beaks and feet of
birds.

And then the bird flies from South America to Australia...

I like the floating eggplant theory better, myself, if I can't have the
'veggies of Gondwanaland' one. Btw, IIRC most birds in Madagascar are
endemics, as was almost everything in Madagascar until recently.