What are devil's apples?

Devil's apples are a poisonous plant that resembles a tomato. It is native to South Africa, and has also been observed in Australia and New Zealand. The scientific name is Solanum linnaeanum.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_apple

Mandrake.A narcotic that arouses passion.

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/devil%27s+apples

The Devil's Apples

http://www.bium.univ-paris5.fr/ishm/vesalius/VESx1997x03x02x095x105.pdf

Tomatoes were referred to as Devil's Apples at some time and place in the Middle Ages.

This distrust of tomatoes was clearly not uniform.

"Along with corn and potatoes, the Western Hemisphere gave the world the tomato. The Aztecs cultivated and enjoyed tomatoes for at least a millennium before European explorers came. The conquistadors returned to Europe with tomato seeds. The red globes quickly become an important part of the cuisine of Spain, Portugal, and Italy. When other European peoples began to use the tomato, they gave it nicknames curiously fitting to their own culture. The French called the tomato a 'love apple.' The Germans noted the apple-like shape and color and called it 'the apple of paradise.'

Only the British refused to eat this new vegetable. They believed it to be poisonous. A possible reason for the error may be that the tomato vine resembles and is botanically related to the deadly nightshade. Whatever the reason, the English colonists who came to America carried with them the firm belief that tomatoes were toxic. What an ironic twist of fate that although the tomato crossed the Atlantic the first time as a terrific new food, it crossed the Atlantic the second time as a poison not to be eaten!

The American fear of the tomato persisted into the 19th century. In 1781, Thomas Jefferson grew tomatoes in the gardens of Monticello, but not as a food. The plants were merely for decoration! Although Creoles were known to use tomatoes in cooking their spicy gumbos and jambalayas, it wasn't until 1820 that the tomato was proven safe to the satisfaction of the public."

Everybody is right. Everybody gets a prize. I was thinking of the potato which was not initially accepted when first introduced to Europe. At best the tubers were thought to be fit only for pigs. Superstitious peasants believed them to be poisonous. They were called devil's apples in Russia and other places.