Flora of North America species comparison

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Solanum pseudocapsicum

Jerusalem cherry, Jerusalem- or winter-cherry, Jerusalem-cherry nightshade
Habit Shrubs, erect, unarmed, to 1 m, glabrous to densely pubescent, hairs dendritically branched.
Leaves

petiolate;

petiole 0.2–1 cm;

blade simple, elliptic, 1–9 × 0.5–4.5 cm, margins entire, base acute to attenuate.
Inflorescences

leaf-opposed, unbranched, 1–8-flowered, 0.2–1 cm.
Pedicels

0.3–0.7 cm in flower, 0.8–1 cm and erect in fruit.
Flowers

radially symmetric;

calyx somewhat accrescent, unarmed, 2.5–6 mm, glabrous to densely pubescent with dendritic hairs, lobes long-triangular;

corolla white, stellate, 1–1.5(–2.5) cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;

stamens equal;

anthers oblong, 3–4 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;

ovary glabrous.
Berries

yellow to orange or red, globose, 1–2 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
Seeds

yellowish, flattened with thickened margins, 3–4 × 2.5–3 mm, minutely pitted.
2n

= 24.

Solanum pseudocapsicum
Phenology Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Disturbed sites.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; often escaped in tropical and subtropical countries worldwide [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Solanum pseudocapsicum is native from Mexico to Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay. It is grown as an ornamental for its showy fruits, especially around Christmas. It occasionally escapes from cultivation in southern Florida and Texas. In Texas, it has become established and fairly common in Austin, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and in Goliad and Caldwell counties. Cultivated forms are usually glabrous, but some can have branched pubescence. The fruits are mildly poisonous when ingested by humans but can be highly toxic to dogs and some birds.

Solanum pseudocapsicum, along with S. diphyllum, has a distinctive leaf arrangement in which a longer, narrower leaf is paired with a shorter, often more rounded one.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 14.
Parent taxa 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. nitidibaccatum, S. novomexicanum, S. perplexum, 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
Synonyms S. capsicastrum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 184. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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