Solanum americanum
Solanum marginatum
American black nightshade, American black or common or West Indian nightshade, glossy nightshade, little white nightshade, small-flower nightshade, white nightshade
purple African nightshade, white-margined nightshade, white-margined or purple African nightshade
petiolate;
petiole 1–4 cm;
blade simple, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 2–10.5 × 1–4.5 cm, margins entire or shallowly sinuate-dentate, base decurrent.
petiolate;
petiole 1.5–6 cm;
blade simple, ovate, 8–23 × 7–13 cm, margins coarsely lobed with 3–4 lobes per side, lobe margins entire to coarsely lobed, base cordate.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, unbranched, usually umbel-like, 3–10-flowered, 0.5–3 cm.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, occasionally sessile, unbranched or forked, 6–15(–30)-flowered, 3.5–8 cm.
erect or spreading, 0.3–1 cm in flower, to 1.5 cm in fruit.
0.5–2 cm in flower, pendent and 2–3 cm in fruit.
radially symmetric;
calyx somewhat accrescent, unarmed, 1–3 mm, lobes deltate, strongly reflexed in fruit;
corolla white, sometimes with yellowish central star, stellate, 0.4–0.8 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, 0.7–1.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
radially symmetric;
calyx accrescent and subtending fruit, sparsely to moderately armed, 7–15 mm, densely stellate-pubescent, lobes broadly deltate;
corolla white to pale purple, rotate-stellate, 2.5–4 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 5.5–7 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores;
ovary moderately stellate-pubescent.
shiny purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with (0–)2–4(–6) sclerotic granules, usually 2–4 larger and 2 smaller.
yellow, dark green mottled with white when young, globose, 3.5–4(–5) cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
pale yellow to brown, 1–1.5 × 0.5–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
light brown, flattened, 2.5–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum americanum
Solanum marginatum
Solanum americanum is a morphologically variable and globally distributed weedy species. It has often been confused with other species in the black nightshade group such as S. emulans, S. nigrescens, S. nigrum, and S. pseudogracile and has often been referred to as S. nodiflorum in floristic treatments. It is distinguished by its very short anthers and shiny black mature fruits with strongly reflexed calyx lobes and usually two to four (rarely none or as many as six) sclerotic granules per fruit. Leaf shape and pubescence can vary considerably throughout its range, and there are some suspected cases of introgression with other species such as S. nigrescens or S. pseudogracile. The name S. nigrum has been misapplied to S. americanum (for example, A. E. Radford et al. 1968).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Solanum marginatum is naturalized along the central and southern coast of California, where it has been listed as a noxious weed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. There are few recent collections.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
LA Plants, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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