Other species that may be referred to as bush tomatoes include:

• S. chippendalei
• S. cleistogamum
• S. ellipticum
• S. esuriale
• S. diversiflorum
• S. gilesii
• Solanum orbiculatum subsp. orbiculatum

Care should be taken when identifying the bush tomato in the wild as there are a number of closely related species, that are similar in appearance, but are toxic. In addition, there can be variation to the bush tomato, within the same species, the variation usually obvious in the leaves, making it appear to be different plants, even when they are growing in the same area.

The fruit of the bush tomato are round, approximately 10-20 mm in diameter and turn from green to yellow when ripe. When they are dried they look like raisins. Fruit ripening on the bush dry to resemble a raisin.
 

The plant itself is usually found as a small rounded, prickly shrub (250 to 500 mm high and wide) and occurs naturally in Central Australia (SA, WA and NT), usually in areas of 150 to 300 mm rainfall, and generally on red sandy soils. Although the plant has also been found growing on heavier textured soils in some locations.

The leaves are a grey-green to green leaves, usually covered with fine silvery or rust coloured hairs, producing pink to purple flowers, similar in shape to the standard tomato plant, but larger. The plant can be found flowering during spring, summer and autumn.