Solanum triflorum |
Solanum emulans |
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cut-leaf nightshade, three flower nightshade |
eastern black nightshade, eastern nightshade |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, decumbent to prostrate, unarmed, to 0.4 m, fleshy, nearly glabrous to moderately pubescent, hairs unbranched, to 2 mm, eglandular, rarely glandular. | Herbs or shrubs, annual or perennial, erect, unarmed, to 1 m, glabrous to sparsely or rarely densely pubescent, hairs unbranched, to 1 mm, eglandular. |
Leaves | petiolate; petiole 0.5–2.5 cm; blade simple, elliptic to oblong, 2–5 × 1–3 cm, margins shallowly lobed to deeply and regularly pinnatifid with 3–6 lobes per side, lobe margins entire or occasionally coarsely lobed, base cuneate and decurrent. |
petiolate; petiole 1–5 cm; blade simple, ovate to elliptic, 4.5–10.5 × 2–6 cm, margins entire to sinuate-dentate, base attenuate to rounded. |
Inflorescences | extra-axillary, unbranched, umbel-like, 1–6-flowered, 1–3 cm. |
extra-axillary, unbranched, umbel-like, (2–)3–6-flowered, 1–2.5 cm. |
Pedicels | spreading and 0.5–1.5 cm in flower, reflexed and 0.5–1.5 cm in fruit. |
straight and spreading in flower and recurved to reflexed in fruit, 0.5–1 cm. |
Flowers | radially symmetric; calyx accrescent and covering base of berry, unarmed, 2–4(–7) mm, moderately pubescent, lobes deltate, reflexed; corolla white or light purple with green or purplish central star, stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., with sparse interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers narrowly ellipsoidal, 2.5–4 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary glabrous. |
radially symmetric; calyx not accrescent, unarmed, 2–3 mm, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, lobes appressed in fruit, deltate; corolla white, sometimes with yellow central star, rarely purplish, stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue; stamens equal; anthers ellipsoidal, 1–1.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits; ovary glabrous. |
Berries | shiny dark green to purplish black, globose, 0.8–2 cm diam., glabrous, with 13–30 sclerotic granules. |
dull or slightly shiny purplish black, globose, 0.5–1 cm diam., glabrous, with 6–9 sclerotic granules per fruit. |
Seeds | yellow, plump, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted. |
yellowish, flattened, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, finely reticulate. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Solanum triflorum |
Solanum emulans |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Sep. | Flowering May–Oct. |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, roadsides, stream banks, along railroad tracks, prairie dog towns. | Moist, open woodlands, stream banks, fields, roadsides, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | (0–)700–2900 m. ((0–)2300–9500 ft.) | 0–700(–1700) m. (0–2300(–5600) ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; IA; ID; KS; MA; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; OK; OR; SD; TX; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK; South America (Argentina) [Introduced in Europe, Africa, Australia]
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AL; AR; AZ; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; BC; MB; NB; ON; QC; SK
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Discussion | Solanum triflorum is found in South America (Argentina) and is also considered to be native to central and western North America. It is occasionally adventive in the eastern United States. It is poisonous to livestock and can become a serious weed in cultivated fields, especially in the Great Plains. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Solanum emulans has often been called S. ptychanthum Dunal (with the variant spelling ptycanthum), but that name is a synonym of S. americanum. Solanum emulans is the most common species in the black nightshade group in northeastern North America. It can be distinguished from other North American species in the black nightshade group by its unbranched inflorescences, short anthers, appressed fruiting calyx lobes, and numerous sclerotic granules in the fruits. (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. nigrum var. virginicum | |
Name authority | Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 128. (1818) | Rafinesque: Autik. Bot., 107. (1840) |
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