Solanum seaforthianum |
Solanum diphyllum |
|
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Brazilian nightshade |
twinleaf nightshade, twoleaf nightshade |
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Habit | Shrubs, erect, unarmed, 1–2 m, glabrous or occasionally minutely puberulent, hairs white, unbranched, eglandular. | |
Leaves | petiolate; petioles twining around supports, 1–4 cm; blade simple to compound, elliptic to broadly ovate, (2–)3.5–10(–13) × (1–)2–9(–11) cm, margins entire to divided with up to 4 pairs of leaflets, leaflet margins entire, base truncate or slightly cordate. |
petiolate; petiole 0.2–0.5 cm; blade simple, elliptic, 0.9–6.8 × 0.6–2.2 cm, margins entire, base acute to attenuate or decurrent. |
Inflorescences | terminal, becoming lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, to 100+-flowered, to 25+ cm. |
leaf-opposed, unbranched, 5–20-flowered, 0.3–1.2 cm. |
Pedicels | inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.8–1.4 cm in flower and fruit. |
ca. 0.5 cm in flower, ca. 1.2 cm and erect in fruit. |
Flowers | radially symmetric; calyx not accrescent, unarmed, ca. 0.5 mm, nearly truncate, glabrous or sparsely pubescent on lobe tips; corolla purple, stellate, 1–2.5 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue; stamens unequal due to unequal filaments; anthers ellipsoidal, 2–3 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores; ovary glabrous. |
radially symmetric; calyx somewhat accrescent, unarmed, 1.5–2 mm, glabrous, lobes deltoid; corolla white, often tinged with lavender, stellate, 0.7–1 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers oblong, 1.5–2 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary glabrous. |
Berries | bright shiny red, globose, 0.8–1.5 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
yellow to orange, globose, 0.7–1.2 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | pale yellowish tan, flattened, 4–4.5 × 2.5-3 mm, minutely pitted. |
pale yellow or tan, flattened, ca. 3 × 2.5 mm, minutely pitted. |
Climbing | or scrambling vines, woody, unarmed, to ca. 3 m, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, hairs white, unbranched, ca. 0.2 mm. |
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2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Solanum seaforthianum |
Solanum diphyllum |
|
Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering year-round. |
Habitat | Disturbed sites. | Dry lowland areas, hammocks, disturbed sites. |
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL; Mexico; West Indies; Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama); South America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela) [Introduced in North America; introduced also elsewhere in South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Peru), Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands, Australia]
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FL; Mexico; West Indies; Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua); South America (Brazil) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe (s France, Italy), Asia, Pacific Islands (Java, Philippines)]
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Discussion | Solanum seaforthianum is widely cultivated as an ornamental and sporadically escapes in Florida. A similar species with twining petioles, S. laxum Sprengel, is occasionally cultivated in California. It is distinguished from S. seaforthianum by having tufts of hairs in the vein axils of the abaxial leaf surfaces, white rather than violet corollas, and equal stamens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Solanum diphyllum is often cultivated for its brightly colored fruits and can escape from cultivation in tropical and subtropical areas. It occurs sporadically and does not appear to be common, but in other areas where it has escaped it has become naturalized (Asia; S. Knapp 2002b). (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 | ||
Name authority | Andrews: Bot. Repos. 8: plate 504. (1808) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 184. (1753) |
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