Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum laciniatum
tall nightshade, velvety nightshade, whitetip nightshade
kangaroo-apple
petiolate;
petiole 1–3 cm;
blade simple, narrowly ovate to elliptic, 1.5–5(–7) × 0.5–3.5 cm, margins entire or sinuate, base cuneate to decurrent.
petiolate;
petiole 1–1.5 cm;
blade simple, elliptic, 10–30 × 1.5–15 cm, margins entire to coarsely pinnatifid with 1–3 lobes per side, lobe margins entire, base cuneate.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, unbranched or rarely forked, umbel-like, 3–7(–10)-flowered, 1–3(–4) cm, fruiting peduncles sharply reflexed from base.
leaf-opposed or in branch forks, unbranched or forked, to 10-flowered, 5–15 cm.
0.5–1 cm in flower and fruit, reflexed downward in fruit.
1.5–3 cm in flower and fruit.
radially symmetric;
calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 2–3.5 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes deltate, appressed in fruit;
corolla white or purplish, with greenish, yellowish, or brown central star, stellate, 0.8–1.5 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, 2–3 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
radially symmetric;
calyx somewhat accrescent, unarmed, 3–4 mm, glabrous, lobes deltate;
corolla blue to deep purple, rotate-stellate, 3–5 cm diam., lobes notched at apex, with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers oblong, slightly tapered, 3–4 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that sometimes open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
dull purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
yellow to orange-yellow, ovoid to obovoid, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 cm, glabrous, with abundant sclerotic granules.
pale yellow, flattened, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
reddish brown, flattened, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, concentrically reticulate.
= 24.
= 92.
Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum laciniatum
Solanum chenopodioides has been introduced sporadically and is occasionally adventive in North America. It is distinctive in having the fruiting peduncles strongly reflexed downward, but is otherwise difficult to distinguish from S. pseudogracile, with which it may be conspecific.
The illegitimate superfluous name Solanum gracile Dunal has often been used for S. chenopodioides (for example, J. K. Small 1913; A. E. Radford et al. 1968). W. G. D’Arcy (1974) included S. gracile (and its replacement name S. ottonis) in the synonymy of S. nigrescens but the taxa are distinct.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Solanum laciniatum has often been confused with S. aviculare in floras. See discussion under 2. S. aviculare.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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