Solanum viarum
Solanum erianthum
tropical soda apple
mullein nightshade, potato tree
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 1–10 cm;
blade simple, elliptic to ovate, 10–25 × 3–15 cm, margins entire, base rounded or acute.
extra-axillary, sessile or nearly so, unbranched, 3–5-flowered.
terminal, becoming leaf-opposed, much-branched, 10–50-flowered, 5–20 cm.
0.7–1.1 cm in flower, 1–2 cm in fruit.
0.2–0.6 cm in flower, erect and 0.4–10 cm 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.
radially symmetric;
calyx accrescent and subtending fruit, unarmed, 5–7 mm, densely pubescent, hairs stellate to echinoid, lobes broadly triangular;
corolla white, stellate, 1–2 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers oblong, 2.5–3.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary tomentose, hairs stellate or echinoid.
light green mottled with dark green when young, yellow when ripe, globose, (1.5–)2–3 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
yellow to orange, globose, 1–2 cm diam., densely pubescent, without sclerotic granules.
reddish brown, flattened, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
yellowish brown, flattened, 1.5–2 × 1–1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum viarum
Solanum erianthum
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.)
In the United States, Solanum erianthum is common only in central to southern Florida and in extreme southern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico.
The name Solanum verbascifolium Linnaeus has been widely misapplied to S. erianthum (K. E. Roe 1968), but is a synonym of S. donianum that has now been rejected.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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