Solanum seaforthianum |
Solanum donianum |
|
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Brazilian nightshade |
mullein nightshade |
|
Habit | Shrubs, erect, sparsely armed when young, older growth unarmed, 0.5–2.5 m, prickles brownish, 1–3 mm, straight, moderately to densely pubescent, hairs sessile to short-stalked, stellate, 6–9-rayed, central ray absent or shorter than lateral rays. | |
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 1–3 cm; blade simple, ovate to elliptic, 4.5–13 × 2–5.5 cm, margins entire, base rounded to acute. |
Inflorescences | terminal, becoming lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, to 100+-flowered, to 25+ cm. |
terminal to extra-axillary, much-branched, with numerous flowers, 2–8 cm. |
Pedicels | inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.8–1.4 cm in flower and fruit. |
erect and 0.7–1 cm in flower and 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 not accrescent, unarmed, 2–4 mm, moderately stellate-pubescent, lobes triangular; corolla white, stellate, 1.5–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers narrow and tapered, 3–4.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores; ovary glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent. |
Berries | bright shiny red, globose, 0.8–1.5 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules. |
red, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent, without sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | pale yellowish tan, flattened, 4–4.5 × 2.5-3 mm, minutely pitted. |
yellow, flattened, 2.5–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 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 donianum |
|
Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering year-round. |
Habitat | Disturbed sites. | Seasides, hammocks, pine forests, limestone soils. |
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 0 m. (0 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; s Mexico; West Indies (Bahamas); Central America (Belize, Guatemala)
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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 donianum is occasional in southern Florida. The oldest name for this species is S. verbascifolium Linnaeus, but it has been widely misapplied to S. erianthum and is now rejected. (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. blodgettii | |
Name authority | Andrews: Bot. Repos. 8: plate 504. (1808) | Walpers: Repert. Bot. Syst. 3: 54. (1844) |
Web links |