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Brazilian nightshade

black nightshade, European black nightshade

Habit Herbs, annual or perennial, erect or sprawling, unarmed, to 1 m, glabrescent to moderately pubescent, hairs unbranched, to 1 mm, usually eglandular or occasionally glandular.
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 0.5–3 cm;

blade simple, ovate, 3.5–7 × 2.2–5 cm, margins entire to coarsely toothed with 3–5 lobes per side, base truncate to cuneate.

Inflorescences

terminal, becoming lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, to 100+-flowered, to 25+ cm.

extra-axillary, unbranched or occasionally forked, racemelike, (3–)4–10-flowered, 1–2 cm.

Pedicels

inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.8–1.4 cm in flower and fruit.

0.5–1 cm, spreading to occasionally recurved 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, 1.5–2 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes deltate, spreading to reflexed in fruit;

corolla white with yellowish central star, stellate, 1–1.5 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;

stamens equal;

anthers ellipsoidal, (1.8–)2–2.5 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.

dull or slightly shiny purple-black or green to yellowish green, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.

Seeds

pale yellowish tan, flattened, 4–4.5 × 2.5-3 mm, minutely pitted.

yellow, flattened, 1.8–2 × 1.5–1.6 mm, minutely pitted.

Climbing

or scrambling vines, woody, unarmed, to ca. 3 m, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, hairs white, unbranched, ca. 0.2 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 72.

Solanum seaforthianum

Solanum nigrum

Phenology Flowering year-round. Flowering May–Oct.
Habitat Disturbed sites. Disturbed areas, irrigated fields.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–2200 m. (0–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
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]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; MA; MD; ME; MO; MT; NC; NJ; NV; NY; OK; OR; PA; TX; UT; VA; WA; BC; NS; ON; Eurasia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Many regional floras have used Solanum nigrum as the name for various species in the black nightshade group, and it can be difficult to distinguish this species from S. emulans and S. nigrescens. Solanum nigrum can be distinguished from the native North American species of the black nightshade group (S. americanum, S. douglasii, S. emulans, S. interius, S. nigrescens) by its thicker peduncles and pedicels, larger seeds, and fruits lacking sclerotic granules. Solanum nigrum was probably introduced from northern Europe and has been locally naturalized in North America.

(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
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. pseudocapsicum, S. pseudogracile, S. pumilum, S. rostratum, S. sarrachoides, S. setigeroides, S. sisymbriifolium, S. stoloniferum, S. tampicense, S. tenuipes, S. torvum, S. triflorum, S. triquetrum, S. umbelliferum, S. viarum, S. wallacei
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. nitidibaccatum, S. novomexicanum, S. perplexum, S. pseudocapsicum, 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. nigrum subsp. schultesii
Name authority Andrews: Bot. Repos. 8: plate 504. (1808) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 186. (1753)
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