Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum marginatum
tall nightshade, velvety nightshade, whitetip nightshade
purple African nightshade, white-margined nightshade, white-margined or purple African nightshade
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 1.5–6 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 or rarely forked, umbel-like, 3–7(–10)-flowered, 1–3(–4) cm, fruiting peduncles sharply reflexed from base.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, occasionally sessile, unbranched or forked, 6–15(–30)-flowered, 3.5–8 cm.
0.5–1 cm in flower and fruit, reflexed downward in fruit.
0.5–2 cm in flower, pendent and 2–3 cm in 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 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.
dull purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
yellow, dark green mottled with white when young, globose, 3.5–4(–5) cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
pale yellow, flattened, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
light brown, flattened, 2.5–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum marginatum
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 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.)
MD Biodiversity
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WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database
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