Solanum elaeagnifolium
Solanum aviculare
horse nettle, silver-leaf nightshade, white horse-nettle
New Zealand nightshade
petiolate;
petiole 1–5 cm;
blade simple, lanceolate to oblong, 5–15 × 0.5–3 cm, margins undulate, subentire to sinuate or shallowly lobed, lobe margins entire, base truncate to cuneate.
petiolate;
petiole 1–1.5 cm;
blade simple, elliptic, 10–30 × 2–15 cm, margins entire or coarsely pinnatifid with 1–3 lobes per side, lobe margins entire, base cuneate.
extra-axillary, unbranched, 3–5(–7)-flowered, 3–5 cm.
leaf-opposed or in branch fork, unbranched or forked, to 10-flowered, to 15 cm.
1–3 cm in flower, reflexed and 1–3 cm in fruit.
1.5–2 cm in flower and fruit.
radially symmetric;
calyx not accrescent, unarmed or with sparse prickles, 5–10 mm, densely silvery-stellate-pubescent, lobes linear-lanceolate;
corolla pale to deep blue or violet, rarely white, pentagonal-stellate, 2–3(–3.5) cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 6–9 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores;
ovary glabrous to densely stellate-pubescent.
radially symmetric;
calyx somewhat accrescent, unarmed, 3–4 mm, glabrous, lobes deltate;
corolla blue to deep purple, rotate-stellate, lobes acute at apex, 3–4 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers oblong, slightly tapered, 3–4 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that sometimes open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
yellow to orange, drying brown or black, globose, 0.5–1.5 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
bright orange to red, obovoid to ellipsoidal, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 cm, glabrous, with sclerotic granules inconspicuous to absent.
yellowish, flattened, 3–5 × 2–4 mm, minutely pitted.
reddish brown, flattened, 1.5–2 × 1.5–2 mm, finely reticulate.
= 24, 48, 72.
= 46.
Solanum elaeagnifolium
Solanum aviculare
Solanum elaeagnifolium has a disjunct native distribution. It occurs in arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico and also in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. North American plants are diploid, whereas those in Argentina are diploid, tetraploid, or hexaploid. It is invasive and considered a noxious weed in 21 states in the flora area as well as in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. It is toxic to livestock and can form large, rhizomatous patches that are difficult to eradicate.
A white-flowered form has been recognized as Solanum elaeagnifolium forma albiflorum Cockerell.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
The name Solanum laciniatum Aiton has been misapplied to S. aviculare (for example, M. Nee 1993). Although only S. aviculare is listed in that treatment as occurring in California, both S. aviculare and S. laciniatum apparently are found there, and most photos labeled S. aviculare on the CalFlora website are of S. laciniatum. Solanum laciniatum has notched and ruffled corolla lobes with abundant interpetalar tissue (versus acute and entire corolla lobes with little interpetalar tissue in S. aviculare) and yellow fruits (versus red) with numerous stone cells (versus stone cells inconspicuous to absent).
Solanum aviculare and S. laciniatum have been introduced from Australia and New Zealand as ornamentals and now are found in scattered localities in California, especially near the coast. Some plants have escaped and become naturalized, and these species have the potential to be invasive in the future.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
