Solanum mauritianum
Solanum chenopodioides
earleaf nightshade
velvety nightshade, whitetip 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 1–3 cm;
blade simple, narrowly ovate to elliptic, 1.5–5(–7) × 0.5–3.5 cm, margins entire or sinuate, base cuneate to decurrent.
terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 50–100-flowered, 5–24 cm.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, unbranched or rarely forked, umbel-like, 3–7(–10)-flowered, 1–3(–4) cm, fruiting peduncles sharply reflexed from base.
erect and 0.2–0.5 cm in flower and fruit.
0.5–1 cm in flower and fruit, reflexed downward 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, 2–3.5 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes deltate, appressed in fruit;
corolla white or purplish, with greenish, yellowish, or brown central star, stellate, 0.8–1.5 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, 2–3 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
yellow, globose, 1–1.5 cm diam., tomentose, without sclerotic granules.
dull purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.
pale yellow, flattened, 1–1.5 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum mauritianum
Solanum chenopodioides
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 chenopodioides has been introduced sporadically and is occasionally adventive in North America. It is distinctive in having the fruiting peduncles strongly reflexed downward, but is otherwise difficult to distinguish from S. pseudogracile, with which it may be conspecific.
The illegitimate superfluous name Solanum gracile Dunal has often been used for S. chenopodioides (for example, J. K. Small 1913; A. E. Radford et al. 1968). W. G. D’Arcy (1974) included S. gracile (and its replacement name S. ottonis) in the synonymy of S. nigrescens but the taxa are distinct.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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