Solanum mauritianum
Solanum nigrescens
earleaf nightshade
divine 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 0.5–2 cm;
blade simple, ovate to ovate-elliptic, 4–10.5 × 2–5 cm, margins entire or shallowly sinuate-dentate, base decurrent.
terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 50–100-flowered, 5–24 cm.
extra-axillary or leaf-opposed, unbranched, umbel-like to racemelike, (2–)5–10-flowered, 1–3.5 cm.
erect and 0.2–0.5 cm in flower and fruit.
spreading and 0.5–1 cm in flower, spreading and 1–1.5 cm 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, 1–2 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes deltate;
corolla white, rarely purplish, often with green or purplish central star, stellate, 1–1.5 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 green or purplish, globose, 0.5–0.8 cm diam., glabrous, with (4–)5–6(–13) sclerotic granules.
yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.
tan, flattened, 1.2–1.5 × 1–1.1 mm, finely pitted.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum mauritianum
Solanum nigrescens
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 nigrescens is widespread in Central and northern South America and the Caribbean and extends northward into the southeastern United States along the Gulf Coast and slightly inland. Where sympatric with S. americanum, it can be distinguished by its longer anthers and dull green or purplish berries with appressed to spreading calyx lobes. Plants collected as weeds in rice and sugarcane fields of Louisiana and provisionally identified as the Chinese species S. merrillianum T. N. Liou are somewhat intermediate between S. americanum and S. nigrescens and could represent recent hybrid populations (S. Knapp et al. 2019). Solanum nigrescens differs from S. douglasii in its shorter anthers and longer filaments relative to anther length; moreover, S. douglasii is usually found west of the Rocky Mountains, whereas S. nigrescens occurs in the southeastern United States. The ranges of S. nigrescens and S. interius overlap (for example, in Texas). Solanum nigrescens may be distinguished from S. interius by its usually acute calyx lobes, smaller seeds, and more numerous sclerotic granules in the fruits. Solanum nigrescens differs from S. nigrum in its more slender peduncles and pedicels, smaller seeds, and fruits with sclerotic granules.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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