Solanum nigrum |
Solanum lumholtzianum |
|
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black nightshade, European black nightshade |
Sonoran nightshade |
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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. | Herbs, annual, erect, moderately to densely armed, 0.2–0.7 m, prickles whitish or yellowish, straight, bristlelike, 4–8 mm, 20+ per cm of stem, sparsely pubescent, hairs sessile to short-stalked, unbranched, glandular, sometimes with a few unbranched, eglandular hairs, abaxial leaf surfaces with sparse, sessile, 4–6-rayed, stellate hairs, central ray equal to lateral rays. |
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 2.5–6.5 cm; blade simple to compound, broadly ovate, 5–13 × 2.5–9 cm, margins 2–3-times lobed or divided with 4–5 main leaflets per side, leaflets with deep, acute lobes, base truncate. |
Inflorescences | extra-axillary, unbranched or occasionally forked, racemelike, (3–)4–10-flowered, 1–2 cm. |
extra-axillary, unbranched, 6–10-flowered, 3–8 cm. |
Pedicels | 0.5–1 cm, spreading to occasionally recurved in flower and fruit. |
0.5–1.5 cm in flower, erect and 0.5–1.5 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. |
bilaterally symmetric; calyx accrescent and tightly covering fruit, densely prickly, 3.5–4.5 mm, sparsely to moderately glandular-pubescent, lobes linear-lanceolate; corolla yellow, stellate, 1.3–1.8 cm diam., with ovate or narrowly deltate lobes, with sparse interpetalar tissue; stamens unequal, lowermost longer and curved, adjacent pair somewhat shorter, uppermost pair shortest; anthers narrow and tapered, dehiscent by terminal pores, shortest anthers 4.5–6 mm, medium-sized anthers 5.6–7.5 mm, longest anther 6.5–8.6 mm; ovary glabrous. |
Berries | dull or slightly shiny purple-black or green to yellowish green, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
brown, globose, 1–1.4 cm diam., glabrous, dry, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | yellow, flattened, 1.8–2 × 1.5–1.6 mm, minutely pitted. |
dark brown, plump, 3–3.5 × 2.5–3 mm, radially ridged with hilum sunken in a deep notch. |
2n | = 72. |
= 24. |
Solanum nigrum |
Solanum lumholtzianum |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Oct. | Flowering Aug–Oct. |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, irrigated fields. | Sandy or gravelly soils, washes, low ground near wet depressions, along stream banks, roadsides. |
Elevation | 0–2200 m. (0–7200 ft.) | 900–1400 m. (3000–4600 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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AZ; Mexico (Sinaloa, Sonora) |
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 flora area, Solanum lumholtzianum is found only in Pima and Santa Cruz counties. (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) | Bartlett: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 44: 629. (1909) |
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