Solanum americanum
Solanum nitidibaccatum
American black nightshade, American black or common or West Indian nightshade, glossy nightshade, little white nightshade, small-flower nightshade, white nightshade
hairy nightshade, hoe 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 0.5–3 cm;
blade simple, ovate to lanceolate, 2–10 × 1–5 cm, margins entire to sinuate-dentate, base cuneate to decurrent.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, unbranched, usually umbel-like, 3–10-flowered, 0.5–3 cm.
usually extra-axillary, occasionally leaf-opposed, unbranched, 4–8(–10)-flowered, 1–2 cm.
erect or spreading, 0.3–1 cm in flower, to 1.5 cm in fruit.
spreading to reflexed and 0.4–1 cm in flower and 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 covering ca. one-half berry, unarmed, 3–4 mm, sparsely to moderately pubescent, lobes broadly triangular;
corolla white with yellowish central star edged with reddish purple to dark brown, rotate-stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, 1–1.4 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
shiny purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with (0–)2–4(–6) sclerotic granules, usually 2–4 larger and 2 smaller.
shiny greenish to purplish brown, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with (0–)2–3 sclerotic granules.
pale yellow to brown, 1–1.5 × 0.5–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
yellow to brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum americanum
Solanum nitidibaccatum
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 nitidibaccatum has often been confused with and misidentified as S. sarrachoides, which has a much longer fruiting calyx that nearly covers the mature berry. Solanum nitidibaccatum also differs from S. sarrachoides in its smaller leaves, larger number of flowers per inflorescence (four to eight versus three or four in S. sarrachoides), and fruits with usually two or three sclerotic granules (versus four to six in S. sarrachoides).
Most references to Solanum sarrachoides in North American floras are actually S. nitidibaccatum. Solanum nitidibaccatum has also been confused with S. villosum Miller (R. L. McGregor 1986). J. M. Edmonds (1986) regarded S. nitidibaccatum as a variety of S. physalifolium, but the two taxa are now recognized as distinct species, with S. physalifolium restricted to South America. The name S. physalifolium, however, has been used for S. nitidibaccatum in a number of North American floras.
Solanum nitidibaccatum is currently considered to be native to both North and South America. It is a common weed in cultivated fields in the Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, and adjacent parts of Canada.
(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
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
- Local floras: OR
- Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW,
MN Wildflowers, MO Plants, PNW Herbaria - WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
