Solanum donianum |
Solanum seaforthianum |
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mullein nightshade |
Brazilian 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. | |
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; petioles twining around supports, 1–4 cm; blade simple to compound, elliptic to broadly ovate, (2–)3.5–10(–13) × (1–)2–9(–11) cm, margins entire to divided with up to 4 pairs of leaflets, leaflet margins entire, base truncate or slightly cordate. |
Inflorescences | terminal to extra-axillary, much-branched, with numerous flowers, 2–8 cm. |
terminal, becoming lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, to 100+-flowered, to 25+ cm. |
Pedicels | erect and 0.7–1 cm in flower and fruit. |
inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.8–1.4 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 not accrescent, unarmed, ca. 0.5 mm, nearly truncate, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on lobe tips; corolla purple, stellate, 1–2.5 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue; stamens unequal due to unequal filaments; anthers ellipsoidal, 2–3 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores; ovary glabrous. |
Berries | red, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent, without sclerotic granules. |
bright shiny red, globose, 0.8–1.5 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | yellow, flattened, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, minutely pitted. |
pale yellowish tan, flattened, 4–4.5 × 2.5-3 mm, minutely pitted. |
Climbing | or scrambling vines, woody, unarmed, to ca. 3 m, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, hairs white, unbranched, ca. 0.2 mm. |
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2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Solanum donianum |
Solanum seaforthianum |
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Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering year-round. |
Habitat | Seasides, hammocks, pine forests, limestone soils. | Disturbed sites. |
Elevation | 0 m. (0 ft.) | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL; s Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas); Central America (Belize, Guatemala)
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FL; Mexico; West Indies; Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama); South America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela) [Introduced in North America; introduced also elsewhere in South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Peru), Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands, 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.) |
Solanum seaforthianum is widely cultivated as an ornamental and sporadically escapes in Florida. A similar species with twining petioles, S. laxum Sprengel, is occasionally cultivated in California. It is distinguished from S. seaforthianum by having tufts of hairs in the vein axils of the abaxial leaf surfaces, white rather than violet corollas, and equal stamens. (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 | |
Name authority | Walpers: Repert. Bot. Syst. 3: 54. (1844) | Andrews: Bot. Repos. 8: plate 504. (1808) |
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