It is native to regions of South America, including the Cerrado ecoregion of the Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, primarily in Brazil.

In the past this plant was variously considered a variety of other Solanum species.

Like many nightshade species, it was also included in Solanum torvum, in its case by Otto Sendtner as var.

[3] There are also a number of now-invalid names where the orangeberry nightshade was considered a distinct species.

It was introduced to California as a garden plant, but has naturalized and ranked a noxious weed there.