Solanum mauritianum |
Solanum marginatum |
|
---|---|---|
earleaf nightshade |
purple African nightshade, white-margined nightshade, white-margined or purple African nightshade |
|
Habit | Shrubs or small trees, erect, unarmed, 2–12 m, densely pubescent, hairs white, sessile to long-stalked, stellate to echinoid. | Herbs or shrubs, erect, moderately armed, 1–2 m, prickles pale orange, straight or slightly curved, 5–12 mm, densely bright white-pubescent, hairs short-stalked, stellate, 10–20-rayed, central ray equal to lateral rays. |
Leaves | petiolate; petiole 1–8 cm; blade simple, elliptic to ovate, 11–31 × 4–14 cm, margins entire, base acute, often with smaller axillary leaves. |
petiolate; petiole 1.5–6 cm; blade simple, ovate, 8–23 × 7–13 cm, margins coarsely lobed with 3–4 lobes per side, lobe margins entire to coarsely lobed, base cordate. |
Inflorescences | terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 50–100-flowered, 5–24 cm. |
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, occasionally sessile, unbranched or forked, 6–15(–30)-flowered, 3.5–8 cm. |
Pedicels | erect and 0.2–0.5 cm in flower and fruit. |
0.5–2 cm in flower, pendent and 2–3 cm in fruit. |
Flowers | radially symmetric; calyx slightly accrescent, unarmed, 4–7.5 mm, densely pubescent, lobes deltate; corolla purple, stellate-pentagonal, 1–1.5 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers oblong, 2–3.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary tomentose. |
radially symmetric; calyx accrescent and subtending fruit, sparsely to moderately armed, 7–15 mm, densely stellate-pubescent, lobes broadly deltate; corolla white to pale purple, rotate-stellate, 2.5–4 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers narrow and tapered, 5.5–7 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores; ovary moderately stellate-pubescent. |
Berries | yellow, globose, 1–1.5 cm diam., tomentose, without sclerotic granules. |
yellow, dark green mottled with white when young, globose, 3.5–4(–5) cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted. |
light brown, flattened, 2.5–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Solanum mauritianum |
Solanum marginatum |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jul. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Disturbed sites. | Disturbed sites. |
Elevation | 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; FL; South America (Brazil, Uruguay) [Introduced also in Asia (India), Africa, Atlantic Islands, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia] |
CA; Asia; Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia); introduced also in South America; Europe; Atlantic Islands (Canary Islands); Australia [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | In Florida, Solanum mauritianum has become naturalized and common only at one site in Pasco County. It also occurs frequently in southern California from Santa Barbara south to San Diego with urban waifs in the Bay Area. It appears to be spreading into relatively undisturbed riparian areas in the San Gabriel Mountains and may become a widespread pest. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Solanum marginatum is naturalized along the central and southern coast of California, where it has been listed as a noxious weed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. There are few recent collections. (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. auriculatum | |
Name authority | Scopoli: Delic. Fl. Faun. Insubr. 3: 16, plate 8. (1788) | Linnaeus f.: Suppl. Pl., 147. (1782) |
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