Solanum seaforthianum
Solanum jamaicense
Brazilian nightshade
Jamaican nightshade
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 or sessile;
petiole to 1 cm;
blade simple, rhombic, 4–13 × 3–8 cm, margins entire or with 2–5 shallow lobes per side, lobe margins entire, base cuneate and decurrent.
terminal, becoming lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, to 100+-flowered, to 25+ cm.
extra-axillary, unbranched, 5–15-flowered, 1–3 cm.
inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.8–1.4 cm in flower and fruit.
0.5–1 cm in flower, 1–1.5 cm in fruit.
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, 2–7 mm, moderately to densely stellate-pubescent, hairs long-stalked, lobes linear;
corolla white, stellate, 1–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 3.5–5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores;
ovary glabrous to very sparsely glandular-puberulent.
bright shiny red, globose, 0.8–1.5 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
bright shiny red to orange, globose, 0.4–1.2 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
pale yellowish tan, flattened, 4–4.5 × 2.5-3 mm, minutely pitted.
yellow, flattened, 1–1.5 × 0.5–1 mm, minutely pitted and ridged.
or scrambling vines, woody, unarmed, to ca. 3 m, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, hairs white, unbranched, ca. 0.2 mm.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum seaforthianum
Solanum jamaicense
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 jamaicense is thought to have been spread to Florida by birds that eat the bright red berries. It was first seen in the state in 1930 and, although locally invasive in hammocks of central Florida, has not become a widespread pest.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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