Solanum mauritianum
Solanum emulans
earleaf nightshade
eastern black nightshade, eastern 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 1–5 cm;
blade simple, ovate to elliptic, 4.5–10.5 × 2–6 cm, margins entire to sinuate-dentate, base attenuate to rounded.
terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 50–100-flowered, 5–24 cm.
extra-axillary, unbranched, umbel-like, (2–)3–6-flowered, 1–2.5 cm.
erect and 0.2–0.5 cm in flower and fruit.
straight and spreading in flower and recurved to reflexed in fruit, 0.5–1 cm.
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 mm, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, lobes appressed in fruit, deltate;
corolla white, sometimes with yellow central star, rarely purplish, stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, 1–1.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
yellow, globose, 1–1.5 cm diam., tomentose, without sclerotic granules.
dull or slightly shiny purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with 6–9 sclerotic granules per fruit.
yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.
yellowish, flattened, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, finely reticulate.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum mauritianum
Solanum emulans
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 emulans has often been called S. ptychanthum Dunal (with the variant spelling ptycanthum), but that name is a synonym of S. americanum.
Solanum emulans is the most common species in the black nightshade group in northeastern North America. It can be distinguished from other North American species in the black nightshade group by its unbranched inflorescences, short anthers, appressed fruiting calyx lobes, and numerous sclerotic granules in the fruits.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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