Solanum nigrum |
Solanum nitidibaccatum |
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black nightshade, European black nightshade |
hairy nightshade, hoe 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 or prostrate, unarmed, to 0.2(–0.4) m, moderately to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched, 1.5–2 mm, glandular. |
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 0.5–3 cm; blade simple, ovate to lanceolate, 2–10 × 1–5 cm, margins entire to sinuate-dentate, base cuneate to decurrent. |
Inflorescences | extra-axillary, unbranched or occasionally forked, racemelike, (3–)4–10-flowered, 1–2 cm. |
usually extra-axillary, occasionally leaf-opposed, unbranched, 4–8(–10)-flowered, 1–2 cm. |
Pedicels | 0.5–1 cm, spreading to occasionally recurved in flower and fruit. |
spreading to reflexed and 0.4–1 cm in flower and 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 covering ca. one-half berry, unarmed, 3–4 mm, sparsely to moderately pubescent, lobes broadly triangular; corolla white with yellowish central star edged with reddish purple to dark brown, rotate-stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers ellipsoidal, 1–1.4 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary glabrous. |
Berries | dull or slightly shiny purple-black or green to yellowish green, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
shiny greenish to purplish brown, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with (0–)2–3 sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | yellow, flattened, 1.8–2 × 1.5–1.6 mm, minutely pitted. |
yellow to brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted. |
2n | = 72. |
= 24. |
Solanum nigrum |
Solanum nitidibaccatum |
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Phenology | Flowering May–Oct. | Flowering May–Oct. |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, irrigated fields. | Disturbed areas, fields. |
Elevation | 0–2200 m. (0–7200 ft.) | (0–)1200–2500 m. ((0–)3900–8200 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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AK; AR; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MA; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NM; NV; NY; OR; PA; TX; UT; WA; WI; WY; BC; MB; NB; ON; QC; South America (Argentina, Chile) [Introduced in Europe, Africa, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia] |
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.) |
Solanum nitidibaccatum has often been confused with and misidentified as S. sarrachoides, which has a much longer fruiting calyx that nearly covers the mature berry. Solanum nitidibaccatum also differs from S. sarrachoides in its smaller leaves, larger number of flowers per inflorescence (four to eight versus three or four in S. sarrachoides), and fruits with usually two or three sclerotic granules (versus four to six in S. sarrachoides). Most references to Solanum sarrachoides in North American floras are actually S. nitidibaccatum. Solanum nitidibaccatum has also been confused with S. villosum Miller (R. L. McGregor 1986). J. M. Edmonds (1986) regarded S. nitidibaccatum as a variety of S. physalifolium, but the two taxa are now recognized as distinct species, with S. physalifolium restricted to South America. The name S. physalifolium, however, has been used for S. nitidibaccatum in a number of North American floras. Solanum nitidibaccatum is currently considered to be native to both North and South America. It is a common weed in cultivated fields in the Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, and adjacent parts of Canada. (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 | S. physalifolium var. nitidibaccatum |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 186. (1753) | Bitter: Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 11: 208. (1912) |
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