Solanum donianum |
Solanum mauritianum |
|
---|---|---|
mullein nightshade |
earleaf nightshade |
|
Habit | Shrubs, erect, sparsely armed when young, older growth unarmed, 0.5–2.5 m, prickles brownish, 1–3 mm, straight, moderately to densely pubescent, hairs sessile to short-stalked, stellate, 6–9-rayed, central ray absent or shorter than lateral rays. | Shrubs or small trees, erect, unarmed, 2–12 m, densely pubescent, hairs white, sessile to long-stalked, stellate to echinoid. |
Leaves | petiolate; petiole 1–3 cm; blade simple, ovate to elliptic, 4.5–13 × 2–5.5 cm, margins entire, base rounded to acute. |
petiolate; petiole 1–8 cm; blade simple, elliptic to ovate, 11–31 × 4–14 cm, margins entire, base acute, often with smaller axillary leaves. |
Inflorescences | terminal to extra-axillary, much-branched, with numerous flowers, 2–8 cm. |
terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 50–100-flowered, 5–24 cm. |
Pedicels | erect and 0.7–1 cm in flower and fruit. |
erect and 0.2–0.5 cm in flower and fruit. |
Flowers | radially symmetric; calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 2–4 mm, moderately stellate-pubescent, lobes triangular; corolla white, stellate, 1.5–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers narrow and tapered, 3–4.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores; ovary glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent. |
radially symmetric; calyx slightly accrescent, unarmed, 4–7.5 mm, densely pubescent, lobes deltate; corolla purple, stellate-pentagonal, 1–1.5 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers oblong, 2–3.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary tomentose. |
Berries | red, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent, without sclerotic granules. |
yellow, globose, 1–1.5 cm diam., tomentose, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | yellow, flattened, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, minutely pitted. |
yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Solanum donianum |
Solanum mauritianum |
|
Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering Mar–Jul. |
Habitat | Seasides, hammocks, pine forests, limestone soils. | Disturbed sites. |
Elevation | 0 m. (0 ft.) | 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL; s Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas); Central America (Belize, Guatemala)
|
CA; FL; South America (Brazil, Uruguay) [Introduced also in Asia (India), Africa, Atlantic Islands, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia] |
Discussion | Solanum donianum is occasional in southern Florida. The oldest name for this species is S. verbascifolium Linnaeus, but it has been widely misapplied to S. erianthum and is now rejected. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
In Florida, Solanum mauritianum has become naturalized and common only at one site in Pasco County. It also occurs frequently in southern California from Santa Barbara south to San Diego with urban waifs in the Bay Area. It appears to be spreading into relatively undisturbed riparian areas in the San Gabriel Mountains and may become a widespread pest. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 14. | FNA vol. 14. |
Parent taxa | Solanaceae > Solanum | Solanaceae > Solanum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. blodgettii | S. auriculatum |
Name authority | Walpers: Repert. Bot. Syst. 3: 54. (1844) | Scopoli: Delic. Fl. Faun. Insubr. 3: 16, plate 8. (1788) |
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