Solanum mauritianum
Solanum bahamense
earleaf nightshade
Bahama nightshade, Rugel's nightshade
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 0.1–2.7 cm;
blade simple, narrowly elliptic, 2–21 × 0.5–5.5 cm, margins entire or shallowly lobed, base attenuate to rounded.
terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 50–100-flowered, 5–24 cm.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, usually unbranched, 30+-flowered, to 15 cm.
erect and 0.2–0.5 cm in flower and fruit.
0.8–1.5 cm in flower, 1–2 cm and recurved to one side of the inflorescence in fruit.
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 not accrescent, unarmed, 1.5–2.5 mm, moderately stellate-pubescent, lobes triangular;
corolla white or violet, stellate, 1.5–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 5.5–8 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores, anther tube densely stellate-pubescent within;
ovary glabrous or sparsely pubescent with short-glandular hairs.
yellow, globose, 1–1.5 cm diam., tomentose, without sclerotic granules.
bright shiny red, globose, 0.5–0.7 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.
pale tan, flattened, 2–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum mauritianum
Solanum bahamense
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 bahamense is morphologically variable, especially in leaf shape, hair morphology, prickle density, and corolla color. Using morphological and molecular data, R. Strickland-Constable et al. (2010) established that several formerly recognized taxa are encompassed within its range of variability and should be considered as synonyms of S. bahamense. It is unique among the North American spiny solanums in having stellate hairs on the inner (adaxial) surface of the anthers. Solanum bahamense occurs in southern Florida and the Keys and throughout the Caribbean.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CalFlora
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
