Solanum pseudocapsicum
Solanum deflexum
Jerusalem cherry, Jerusalem- or winter-cherry, Jerusalem-cherry nightshade
sonoita nightshade
petiolate;
petiole 0.2–1 cm;
blade simple, elliptic, 1–9 × 0.5–4.5 cm, margins entire, base acute to attenuate.
petiolate;
petiole 0.5–2 cm;
blade simple, elliptic to elliptic-ovoid, 1–4.5 × 0.5–2.5 cm, margins entire, base rounded to obtuse and often decurrent.
leaf-opposed, unbranched, 1–8-flowered, 0.2–1 cm.
nearly sessile, extra-axillary or subopposite leaves, unbranched, racemelike, 1–5-flowered.
0.3–0.7 cm in flower, 0.8–1 cm and erect in fruit.
0.5–1.2 cm in flower, 1–2 mm and spreading or nodding in fruit.
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.
radially symmetric;
calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 3–9 mm, moderately to densely pubescent, lobes linear-lanceolate;
corolla white, rotate, 0.5–1 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers oblong, slightly tapered, 1.5–3 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
yellow to orange or red, globose, 1–2 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
white to greenish and semitransparent, globose, 5–12 mm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
yellowish, flattened with thickened margins, 3–4 × 2.5–3 mm, minutely pitted.
light brown, somewhat flattened, ca. 2.5 × 1.5 mm, notched where connected to placenta, ridged.
= 24.
Solanum pseudocapsicum
Solanum deflexum
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.)
Solanum deflexum occurs sporadically in southeastern Arizona (Cochise, Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz counties). It is unique in its fruits with explosive dehiscence. As the berries mature, they build up turgor pressure until they burst, propelling seeds up to several feet from the parent plant. Plants of S. deflexum were often identified as S. adscendens Sendtner (M. Nee 1989), a distinct species found only in South America (S. Stern et al. 2013).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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