Solanum seaforthianum |
Solanum sarrachoides |
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Brazilian nightshade |
viscid nightshade |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, erect to decumbent, unarmed, to 1 m, moderately to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched, to 2 mm, 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 to elliptic, 3–7.5 × 3–6 cm, margins entire to sinuate-dentate, base truncate to cordate. |
Inflorescences | terminal, becoming lateral, extra-axillary, much-branched, to 100+-flowered, to 25+ cm. |
leaf-opposed or occasionally extra-axillary, unbranched, umbel-like, 2–5(–7)-flowered, 0.5–1.5 cm. |
Pedicels | inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.8–1.4 cm in flower and fruit. |
0.5–1 cm in flower and fruit, spreading in flower, reflexed 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 accrescent and nearly covering berry, unarmed, 2–3 mm, sparsely to moderately pubescent, lobes narrowly triangular; corolla white with yellowish or greenish central star, rotate-stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers ellipsoidal, 1.2–2 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. |
dull pale green, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with 4–6 sclerotic granules. |
Seeds | pale yellowish tan, flattened, 4–4.5 × 2.5-3 mm, minutely pitted. |
pale yellow, flattened, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, nearly smooth. |
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 sarrachoides |
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Phenology | Flowering year-round. | Flowering May–Oct. |
Habitat | Disturbed sites. | Farmyards, fields, open woodlands, roadsides, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 0–500 m. (0–1600 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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AR; CT; FL; IL; KS; MD; MO; NC; OK; RI; SC; VA; WA; s South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe, Africa (South Africa)] |
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 accounts of Solanum sarrachoides in North America actually refer either to S. nitidibaccatum or to a mixture of the two species. In North America, S. sarrachoides is much less widespread and common than S. nitidibaccatum. (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) | Sendtner in C. F. P. von Martius et al.: Fl. Bras. 10: 18, plate 1, figs. 1–8. (1846) |
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