Solanum dulcamara |
Solanum sarrachoides |
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bitter nightshade, bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, blue bindweed, climbing nightshade, European bittersweet, felonwort |
viscid nightshade |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, erect to decumbent, unarmed, to 1 m, moderately to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched, to 2 mm, glandular. | |
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 0.5–3 cm; blade simple, ovate to elliptic, 3–7.5 × 3–6 cm, margins entire to sinuate-dentate, base truncate to cordate. |
Inflorescences | terminal or lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, 7–40-flowered, (1–)4–15 cm. |
leaf-opposed or occasionally extra-axillary, unbranched, umbel-like, 2–5(–7)-flowered, 0.5–1.5 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 and fruit, spreading in flower, reflexed 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 accrescent and nearly covering berry, unarmed, 2–3 mm, sparsely to moderately pubescent, lobes narrowly triangular; corolla white with yellowish or greenish central star, rotate-stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers ellipsoidal, 1.2–2 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary glabrous. |
Berries | bright shiny red, globose to ellipsoidal, 0.5–1.5 × 0.5–1 cm, glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
dull pale green, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with 4–6 sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | pale yellow or tan, flattened, 2–3 mm diam., minutely pitted. |
pale yellow, flattened, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, nearly smooth. |
Vines | , climbing or scrambling, herbaceous or woody, unarmed, to 8–10 m, sparsely to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched and/or dendritic, rarely glabrous. |
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2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Solanum dulcamara |
Solanum sarrachoides |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Nov. | Flowering May–Oct. |
Habitat | Weedy, in a wide variety of habitats, often associated with water. | Farmyards, fields, open woodlands, roadsides, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.) | 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) |
Distribution |
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
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AR; CT; FL; IL; KS; MD; MO; NC; OK; RI; SC; VA; WA; s South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe, Africa (South Africa)] |
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.) |
Many accounts of Solanum sarrachoides in North America actually refer either to S. nitidibaccatum or to a mixture of the two species. In North America, S. sarrachoides is much less widespread and common than S. nitidibaccatum. (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. dulcamara var. villosissimum | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 185. (1753) | Sendtner in C. F. P. von Martius et al.: Fl. Bras. 10: 18, plate 1, figs. 1–8. (1846) |
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