Solanum nigrum |
Solanum erianthum |
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black nightshade, European black nightshade |
mullein nightshade, potato tree |
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Habit | Herbs, annual or perennial, erect or sprawling, unarmed, to 1 m, glabrescent to moderately pubescent, hairs unbranched, to 1 mm, usually eglandular or occasionally glandular. | Shrubs or small trees, erect, unarmed, 2–8 m, densely pubescent, hairs sessile to short-stalked, stellate to echinoid. |
Leaves | petiolate; petiole 0.5–3 cm; blade simple, ovate, 3.5–7 × 2.2–5 cm, margins entire to coarsely toothed with 3–5 lobes per side, base truncate to cuneate. |
petiolate; petiole 1–10 cm; blade simple, elliptic to ovate, 10–25 × 3–15 cm, margins entire, base rounded or acute. |
Inflorescences | extra-axillary, unbranched or occasionally forked, racemelike, (3–)4–10-flowered, 1–2 cm. |
terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 10–50-flowered, 5–20 cm. |
Pedicels | 0.5–1 cm, spreading to occasionally recurved in flower and fruit. |
0.2–0.6 cm in flower, erect and 0.4–10 cm in fruit. |
Flowers | radially symmetric; calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 1.5–2 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes deltate, spreading to reflexed in fruit; corolla white with yellowish central star, stellate, 1–1.5 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers ellipsoidal, (1.8–)2–2.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary glabrous. |
radially symmetric; calyx accrescent and subtending fruit, unarmed, 5–7 mm, densely pubescent, hairs stellate to echinoid, lobes broadly triangular; corolla white, stellate, 1–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers oblong, 2.5–3.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary tomentose, hairs stellate or echinoid. |
Berries | dull or slightly shiny purple-black or green to yellowish green, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
yellow to orange, globose, 1–2 cm diam., densely pubescent, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | yellow, flattened, 1.8–2 × 1.5–1.6 mm, minutely pitted. |
yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted. |
2n | = 72. |
= 24. |
Solanum nigrum |
Solanum erianthum |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Oct. | Flowering Apr–Oct (year-round in Fla.). |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, irrigated fields. | Hammocks, pinelands, disturbed sites. |
Elevation | 0–2200 m. (0–7200 ft.) | 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AK; CA; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; MA; MD; ME; MO; MT; NC; NJ; NV; NY; OK; OR; PA; TX; UT; VA; WA; BC; NS; ON; Eurasia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
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FL; TX; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; South America (Colombia) [Introduced in Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands (including the Galapagos Islands), Australia]
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Discussion | Many regional floras have used Solanum nigrum as the name for various species in the black nightshade group, and it can be difficult to distinguish this species from S. emulans and S. nigrescens. Solanum nigrum can be distinguished from the native North American species of the black nightshade group (S. americanum, S. douglasii, S. emulans, S. interius, S. nigrescens) by its thicker peduncles and pedicels, larger seeds, and fruits lacking sclerotic granules. Solanum nigrum was probably introduced from northern Europe and has been locally naturalized in North America. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
In the United States, Solanum erianthum is common only in central to southern Florida and in extreme southern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico. The name Solanum verbascifolium Linnaeus has been widely misapplied to S. erianthum (K. E. Roe 1968), but is a synonym of S. donianum that has now been rejected. (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. nigrum subsp. schultesii | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 186. (1753) | D. Don: Prodr. Fl. Nepal., 96. (1825) |
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