Solanum donianum |
Solanum nigrum |
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mullein nightshade |
black nightshade, European black nightshade |
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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. | Herbs, annual or perennial, erect or sprawling, unarmed, to 1 m, glabrescent to moderately pubescent, hairs unbranched, to 1 mm, usually eglandular or occasionally glandular. |
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 0.5–3 cm; blade simple, ovate, 3.5–7 × 2.2–5 cm, margins entire to coarsely toothed with 3–5 lobes per side, base truncate to cuneate. |
Inflorescences | terminal to extra-axillary, much-branched, with numerous flowers, 2–8 cm. |
extra-axillary, unbranched or occasionally forked, racemelike, (3–)4–10-flowered, 1–2 cm. |
Pedicels | erect and 0.7–1 cm in flower and fruit. |
0.5–1 cm, spreading to occasionally recurved 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 not accrescent, unarmed, 1.5–2 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes deltate, spreading to reflexed in fruit; corolla white with yellowish central star, stellate, 1–1.5 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers ellipsoidal, (1.8–)2–2.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary glabrous. |
Berries | red, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent, without sclerotic granules. |
dull or slightly shiny purple-black or green to yellowish green, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | yellow, flattened, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, minutely pitted. |
yellow, flattened, 1.8–2 × 1.5–1.6 mm, minutely pitted. |
2n | = 24. |
= 72. |
Solanum donianum |
Solanum nigrum |
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Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering May–Oct. |
Habitat | Seasides, hammocks, pine forests, limestone soils. | Disturbed areas, irrigated fields. |
Elevation | 0 m. (0 ft.) | 0–2200 m. (0–7200 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL; s Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas); Central America (Belize, Guatemala)
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AK; CA; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; MA; MD; ME; MO; MT; NC; NJ; NV; NY; OK; OR; PA; TX; UT; VA; WA; BC; NS; ON; Eurasia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
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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.) |
Many regional floras have used Solanum nigrum as the name for various species in the black nightshade group, and it can be difficult to distinguish this species from S. emulans and S. nigrescens. Solanum nigrum can be distinguished from the native North American species of the black nightshade group (S. americanum, S. douglasii, S. emulans, S. interius, S. nigrescens) by its thicker peduncles and pedicels, larger seeds, and fruits lacking sclerotic granules. Solanum nigrum was probably introduced from northern Europe and has been locally naturalized in North America. (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. nigrum subsp. schultesii |
Name authority | Walpers: Repert. Bot. Syst. 3: 54. (1844) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 186. (1753) |
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