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bitter nightshade, bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, blue bindweed, climbing nightshade, European bittersweet, felonwort

redberry nightshade

Habit Herbs, annual, usually spreading, densely armed, to 0.5(–1) m, prickles pale yellow, straight, to 10 mm, sparsely to densely tomentose, hairs nearly sessile to thick-stalked, stellate, 4–9-rayed, central ray equal to or slightly longer than lateral rays.
Leaves

petiolate;

petiole 0.5–5 cm;

blade simple, elliptic or ovate to cordate, 2.5–12 × 1.2–9 cm, margins entire to deeply pinnatifid and usually 3-lobed near base, lobe margins entire, base truncate to cordate.

petiolate;

petiole 1–5 cm;

blade simple, ovate, 4–13 × 3–12 cm, margins deeply lobed with 2–4 lobes per side, these with additional coarse, acute teeth or shallow lobes, base cordate.

Inflorescences

terminal or lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, 7–40-flowered, (1–)4–15 cm.

extra-axillary, unbranched, 1–3(–6)-flowered, 0.5–2(–5) cm.

Pedicels

inserted into a small sleeve on the inflorescence axis, 0.6–1.2 cm in flower and fruit.

0.5–1 cm in flower, 1–2 cm in fruit.

Flowers

radially symmetric;

calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 1–2 mm, glabrous to densely pubescent, lobes triangular, shallow;

corolla purple (rarely white), with green and white shiny spots at base of each lobe, deeply stellate, 1.5–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;

stamens equal;

anthers oblong, slightly tapered, 4.5–6 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that often open into longitudinal slits;

ovary glabrous.

radially symmetric;

calyx somewhat accrescent and partially covering fruit, densely prickly, 4–6 mm, densely stellate-pubescent, lobes narrowly triangular;

corolla white, bluish white, blue, or lilac, rotate-campanulate, 1–1.5 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;

stamens equal;

anthers narrow and tapered, 2–5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores;

ovary glabrous.

Berries

bright shiny red, globose to ellipsoidal, 0.5–1.5 × 0.5–1 cm, glabrous, without sclerotic granules.

purplish, greenish, or yellowish, globose, 1.5–2 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.

Seeds

pale yellow or tan, flattened, 2–3 mm diam., minutely pitted.

yellowish brown, flattened, 1.8–3 × 1.4–2 mm, pustulate.

Vines

, climbing or scrambling, herbaceous or woody, unarmed, to 8–10 m, sparsely to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched and/or dendritic, rarely glabrous.

2n

= 24.

Solanum dulcamara

Solanum campechiense

Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering Feb–Dec.
Habitat Weedy, in a wide variety of habitats, often associated with water. Muddy edges of ephemeral lakes and streams, tropical and subtropical dry forest.
Elevation 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Muddy edges of ephemeral lakes and streams; tropical and subtropical dry forest; Mexico (Chiapas, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán); West Indies; Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras); South America (Ecuador, Peru)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Solanum dulcamara is widely distributed across Eurasia and boreal North America. The North American populations are thought to be introductions, but it is possible that the species has a truly circumboreal distribution. A white-flowered form has been recognized by some authors as S. dulcamara forma albiflorum House and an especially pubescent form as S. dulcamara var. villosissimum, but variation in a number of morphological features is continuous across the range of the species and these and other variants are not recognized in the latest monograph of the group (S. Knapp 2013).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

In the flora region, Solanum campechiense is found in southernmost Texas. Although D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston (1970) stated that the fruits are cherry-red at maturity, the specimens seen indicate that they turn purplish when ripe.

(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
S. americanum, S. aviculare, S. bahamense, S. campechiense, S. capsicoides, S. carolinense, S. chenopodioides, S. citrullifolium, S. cordicitum, S. davisense, S. deflexum, S. dimidiatum, S. diphyllum, S. donianum, S. douglasii, S. elaeagnifolium, S. emulans, S. erianthum, S. furcatum, S. hindsianum, S. interius, S. jamaicense, S. jamesii, S. laciniatum, S. lanceolatum, S. lumholtzianum, S. lycopersicum, S. marginatum, S. mauritianum, S. nigrescens, S. nigrum, S. nitidibaccatum, S. novomexicanum, S. perplexum, S. pseudocapsicum, S. pseudogracile, S. pumilum, S. rostratum, S. sarrachoides, S. seaforthianum, S. setigeroides, S. sisymbriifolium, S. stoloniferum, S. tampicense, S. tenuipes, S. torvum, S. triflorum, S. triquetrum, S. umbelliferum, S. viarum, S. wallacei
S. americanum, S. aviculare, S. bahamense, S. capsicoides, S. carolinense, S. chenopodioides, S. citrullifolium, S. cordicitum, S. davisense, S. deflexum, S. dimidiatum, S. diphyllum, S. donianum, S. douglasii, S. dulcamara, S. elaeagnifolium, S. emulans, S. erianthum, S. furcatum, S. hindsianum, S. interius, S. jamaicense, S. jamesii, S. laciniatum, S. lanceolatum, S. lumholtzianum, S. lycopersicum, S. marginatum, S. mauritianum, S. nigrescens, S. nigrum, S. nitidibaccatum, S. novomexicanum, S. perplexum, S. pseudocapsicum, S. pseudogracile, S. pumilum, S. rostratum, S. sarrachoides, S. seaforthianum, S. setigeroides, S. sisymbriifolium, S. stoloniferum, S. tampicense, S. tenuipes, S. torvum, S. triflorum, S. triquetrum, S. umbelliferum, S. viarum, S. wallacei
Synonyms S. dulcamara var. villosissimum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 185. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 187. (1753)
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