Eggplant is usually grown as an annual and features an erect bushy stem that is sometimes armed with spines. The leaves are large, ovate, and slightly lobed. The pendant violet flowers are characteristically solitary and approximately 5 cm (2 inches) across. The fruit is a large egg-shaped berry with a glossy surface that varies in colour from dark purple to red, pink, yellowish, or white and is sometimes striped; the colour and shape of the white variety is the source of the common name.
