Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum umbelliferum
tall nightshade, velvety nightshade, whitetip nightshade
blue nightshade, blue witch, blue witch or chaparral nightshade, bluewitch 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 0.2–1.5(–3) cm;
blade simple, lanceolate to ovate or obovate, (0.5–)1–4(–9) × 0.5–2(–6.5) cm, margins entire to pinnatifid with 1(–3) pairs of lobes at base, lobe margins entire to undulate, base attenuate to truncate, occasionally subcordate.
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.
terminal or lateral, leaf-opposed or extra-axillary, simple or once-branched, 5–20-flowered, 1–8 cm.
0.5–1 cm in flower and fruit, reflexed downward in fruit.
inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.5–1.5 cm in flower, 1.2–2 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 slightly accrescent, unarmed, 2.5–5.5 mm, glabrous to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched or dendritic, lobes broadly deltate;
corolla pale to deep purple or occasionally white, with green spots edged with white at base of lobes, spots separate or confluent, rotate, (1–)1.3–2.5 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, slightly tapered, 3.5–4.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
dull purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
green, greenish black, or black, globose, 1–2 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
pale yellow, flattened, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
reddish brown, flattened, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
Solanum chenopodioides
Solanum umbelliferum
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 umbelliferum is common in the western part of North America from Washington to Baja California. It is found throughout California except for Modoc Plateau, Desert Province, and Central Valley.
Past treatments have divided Solanum umbelliferum into a number of taxa based on leaf size and shape and pubescence type and density, but the most recent monograph (S. Knapp 2013) regarded it as one highly variable and widespread species in which no character discontinuities can be seen. Glabrous populations from northern California have been called S. parishii, sticky-glandular populations from central and southern California S. xanti, glabrous populations from southern California have been called var. glabrescens, and densely pubescent eglandular populations from central California have been called S. californicum Dunal. Island populations with larger leaves have been called S. clokeyi (but see 52. S. wallacei, a distinct endemic on Santa Catalina Island). A number of new varietal combinations were published by D. J. Keil (2018) to accommodate much of this regional and local variation, but the group needs thorough study using both molecular and morphological analysis across its range to assess the taxonomic validity of these segregants. Some of the variation may be environmental.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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