Solanum viarum
Solanum cordicitum
tropical soda apple
valentine nightshade
petiolate;
petiole 3–6 cm;
blade simple, ovate to suborbiculate, 7–10(–20) × 6–8(–15) cm, margins coarsely lobed with 3–5 lobes per side, lobe margins entire to coarsely toothed, base truncate to cordate.
petiolate;
petiole 0.5–3 cm;
blade simple, ovate to elliptic, 3–8 × 1.5–4 cm, margins deeply lobed to pinnatifid with 3–4 lobes per side, these shallowly lobed, base obtuse.
extra-axillary, sessile or nearly so, unbranched, 3–5-flowered.
extra-axillary, unbranched, 5–8-flowered, 8–12 cm.
0.7–1.1 cm in flower, 1–2 cm in fruit.
0.4–1 cm in flower, 1–1.8 cm and erect in fruit.
radially symmetric;
calyx somewhat accrescent, unarmed or sparsely prickly, 3–4 mm, densely pubescent, lobes triangular;
corolla greenish or whitish, stellate, 1.5–2.5 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 5.5–7(–10) mm, dehiscent by terminal pores;
ovary densely pubescent, hairs glandular and eglandular.
bilaterally symmetric;
calyx accrescent and tightly covering fruit, moderately prickly, 4–6 mm, moderately pubescent, lobes narrowly triangular;
corolla white, rotate-stellate, 2–2.5 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens unequal, lowermost much longer and curved;
anthers narrow and tapered, dehiscent by terminal pores, short anthers 5–6 mm, longer anther 9–11 mm;
ovary glabrous.
light green mottled with dark green when young, yellow when ripe, globose, (1.5–)2–3 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
brown, globose, 1–1.2 cm diam., glabrous, dry, without sclerotic granules.
reddish brown, flattened, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
dark brown, flattened, reniform, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm, reticulately ridged.
= 24.
Solanum viarum
Solanum cordicitum
In the United States, Solanum viarum was first collected in Florida in 1988 and has subsequently become an aggressive and invasive species in the Southeast. It is on the Federal Noxious Weeds List and is classified as a noxious weed or plant pest in many states. Cattle and other animals eat the fruits and spread the seeds through their feces, and the seeds are coated with a sticky substance that makes them adhere to farm equipment when the plants are mowed. It can form large patches that are difficult to eradicate due to their extensive root systems and sharp prickles. It is a major agricultural pest and a threat to native ecosystems.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Solanum cordicitum is currently known only from three collections from Jeff Davis County.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
LA Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
