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hairy nightshade, hoe nightshade

fancy nightshade

Habit Herbs, annual, erect or prostrate, unarmed, to 0.2(–0.4) m, moderately to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched, 1.5–2 mm, glandular. Herbs, perennial, spreading, moderately to densely armed, 0.2–0.5 m, prickles pale, straight, to 8 mm, glabrate to sparsely or moderately pubescent, hairs unbranched, glandular or eglandular, abaxial leaf surfaces with some sessile stellate hairs, 4–6-rayed, central ray equal to lateral rays.
Leaves

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.

petiolate;

petiole 2–6 cm;

blade simple to 2–3 times lobed to compound, broadly ovate to elliptic, 4–9 × 2–7 cm, margins 2–3 times lobed to 2–3 times divided with 2–3 main leaflets per side, leaflets lobed to pinnately dissected, base truncate.

Inflorescences

usually extra-axillary, occasionally leaf-opposed, unbranched, 4–8(–10)-flowered, 1–2 cm.

extra-axillary, unbranched, 6–9-flowered, 4–9 cm.

Pedicels

spreading to reflexed and 0.4–1 cm in flower and fruit.

1–2 cm in flower, erect and 2–3 cm in fruit.

Flowers

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.

bilaterally symmetric;

calyx accrescent and almost completely and tightly covering fruit, moderately to densely prickly, 4–6 mm, sparsely to moderately pubescent, lobes linear to lanceolate;

corolla violet or blue, stellate, 2.5–3.5 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue;

stamens unequal, lowermost much longer and curved;

anthers narrow and tapered, dehiscent by terminal pores, short anthers 7–10 mm, longer anther 12–20 mm;

ovary glabrous.

Berries

shiny greenish to purplish brown, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with (0–)2–3 sclerotic granules.

brown, globose to depressed-globose, 0.7–1 cm diam., glabrous, dry, without sclerotic granules.

Seeds

yellow to brown, flattened, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, minutely pitted.

dark brown, plump, 2.8–3.6 × 2–3 mm, minutely pitted and irregularly ridged.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Solanum nitidibaccatum

Solanum tenuipes

Phenology Flowering May–Oct.
Habitat Disturbed areas, fields.
Elevation (0–)1200–2500 m. ((0–)3900–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
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]
from USDA
nc Mexico; Texas
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Larger leaves 3 times pinnatifid; seeds 3.1–3.6 mm.
var. tenuipes
1. Leaves usually only 2 times pinnatifid; seeds to 3 mm.
var. latisectum
Source FNA vol. 14. FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa Solanaceae > Solanum Solanaceae > Solanum
Sibling taxa
S. americanum, S. aviculare, S. bahamense, S. campechiense, S. capsicoides, S. carolinense, S. chenopodioides, S. citrullifolium, S. cordicitum, S. davisense, S. deflexum, S. dimidiatum, S. diphyllum, S. donianum, S. douglasii, S. dulcamara, S. elaeagnifolium, S. emulans, S. erianthum, S. furcatum, S. hindsianum, S. interius, S. jamaicense, S. jamesii, S. laciniatum, S. lanceolatum, S. lumholtzianum, S. lycopersicum, S. marginatum, S. mauritianum, S. nigrescens, S. nigrum, S. novomexicanum, S. perplexum, S. pseudocapsicum, S. pseudogracile, S. pumilum, S. rostratum, S. sarrachoides, S. seaforthianum, S. setigeroides, S. sisymbriifolium, S. stoloniferum, S. tampicense, S. tenuipes, S. torvum, S. triflorum, S. triquetrum, S. umbelliferum, S. viarum, S. wallacei
S. americanum, S. aviculare, S. bahamense, S. campechiense, S. capsicoides, S. carolinense, S. chenopodioides, S. citrullifolium, S. cordicitum, S. davisense, S. deflexum, S. dimidiatum, S. diphyllum, S. donianum, S. douglasii, S. dulcamara, S. elaeagnifolium, S. emulans, S. erianthum, S. furcatum, S. hindsianum, S. interius, S. jamaicense, S. jamesii, S. laciniatum, S. lanceolatum, S. lumholtzianum, S. lycopersicum, S. marginatum, S. mauritianum, S. nigrescens, S. nigrum, S. nitidibaccatum, S. novomexicanum, S. perplexum, S. pseudocapsicum, S. pseudogracile, S. pumilum, S. rostratum, S. sarrachoides, S. seaforthianum, S. setigeroides, S. sisymbriifolium, S. stoloniferum, S. tampicense, S. torvum, S. triflorum, S. triquetrum, S. umbelliferum, S. viarum, S. wallacei
Subordinate taxa
S. tenuipes var. latisectum, S. tenuipes var. tenuipes
Synonyms S. physalifolium var. nitidibaccatum
Name authority Bitter: Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 11: 208. (1912) Bartlett: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 44: 629. (1909)
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