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

bristly nightshade

Habit Herbs, annual, spreading, branching from near base, densely armed, 0.3–0.7 m, prickles straight, 4–8 mm, 30+ per cm of stem, sparsely pubescent, hairs ca. 0.2 mm, stipitate-glandular, abaxial leaf surfaces also with scattered, sessile, 4–6-rayed, stellate hairs, central ray equal to 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 2–7 cm;

blade simple to compound, broadly ovate to deltate, 4–11 × 4–8 cm, margins twice-lobed to twice-divided with 2–3 main leaflets per side, leaflets with obtuse or rounded lobes, base truncate.

Inflorescences

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

extra-axillary, unbranched, 5–9-flowered, 4–10 cm.

Pedicels

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

1–2 cm in flower, erect and 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.

bilaterally symmetric;

calyx accrescent and tightly covering fruit, densely prickly, 4.5–6.5 mm, sparsely glandular-pubescent, lobes lanceolate;

corolla violet or blue, pentagonal, 1–1.5 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;

stamens unequal, lowermost much longer and curved;

anthers narrow and tapered, dehiscent by terminal pores, short anthers 2–4 mm, longer anther 3.5–5 mm;

ovary glabrous.

Berries

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

brown, globose, 1–1.2 cm diam., glabrous, dry, without sclerotic granules.

Seeds

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

dark brown, flattened, 2.5–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted and weakly ridged or faceted.

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 setigeroides

Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat Weedy, in a wide variety of habitats, often associated with water. Silty, sandy, or gravelly soils, playas, dunes, streambeds, arroyos, open hillsides.
Elevation 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.) 600–2000 m. (2000–6600 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
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua)
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.)

Solanum setigeroides is a weed of disturbed and overgrazed places ranging from central Arizona and New Mexico to extreme western Texas.

(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. campechiense, 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. sisymbriifolium, S. stoloniferum, S. tampicense, S. tenuipes, S. torvum, S. triflorum, S. triquetrum, S. umbelliferum, S. viarum, S. wallacei
Synonyms S. dulcamara var. villosissimum S. heterodoxum var. setigeroides
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 185. (1753) (Whalen) S. R. Stern: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 8: 5. (2014)
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