Japanese Egg Plant in flower.

Like so many of our fruit and veg, we tend to ignore the flowers and often they are beautiful in their own right

Stan:

My Eggplant 'Ichiban' shrub from last year is producing fruit right now. Last year it didn't get enough water and light and didn't produce one fruit. Here in San Diego one plant will usually produce too much eggplant fruit for one household. Typically, eggplant shrubs will live 3 years or so in the ground here.

I had to make a good deep dish in the soil around the plant so it would get water to the roots.

Thanks all!
It looked so much like a gynura at the nursery with all the purple hairs..I figured the wife could figure out what to make with the fruit,it it happens. So,yes,I bought for looks-lol.

Andy
I have this in a pot. The label said it made a round fruit of some kind. I had a feeling in ground I wouldnt be able to water it enough..or the soils were too heavy,nights too cool.
I went with 5 gallon pot. It does have showy big flowers.

Speaking of Gynura my plant is growing like crazy now that it was transplanted into a larger pot and put into more sun.