Solanum viarum
Solanum interius
tropical soda apple
deadly nightshade, plains black nightshade, plains black or deadly 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 0.5–3.5 cm;
blade simple, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 4.5–11 × 2.5–7 cm, margins entire to sinuate-dentate, base cuneate to rounded or slightly decurrent.
extra-axillary, sessile or nearly so, unbranched, 3–5-flowered.
extra-axillary, unbranched, (2–)3–8-flowered, 2.5–3.5 cm.
0.7–1.1 cm in flower, 1–2 cm in fruit.
spreading in flower, recurved to reflexed in fruit, 0.5–1 cm in flower and 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 not accrescent, unarmed, 2–5 mm, sparsely pubescent, lobes lanceolate, sometimes reflexed in fruit;
corolla white, sometimes tinged with purple, with yellowish central star, stellate, 0.5–1 cm diam., without interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, 1.8–2.5 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores that open into longitudinal slits;
ovary glabrous.
light green mottled with dark green when young, yellow when ripe, globose, (1.5–)2–3 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
shiny purplish black, globose, 1–1.5 cm diam., glabrous, with 2–4 sclerotic granules.
reddish brown, flattened, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
yellowish to brown, flattened, 1.8–2 × 1.5–1.6 mm, finely reticulate.
= 24.
= 24.
Solanum viarum
Solanum interius
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 interius is endemic to North America and is most common in the Great Plains and eastern Rocky Mountains. Distinctive characters are the basal flower with its pedicel articulated above the base and the very large seeds. In Texas, S. interius can be very difficult to distinguish from S. nigrescens, but S. interius usually has longer calyx lobes. Records of S. interius from Saskatchewan are actually S. emulans.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
LA Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CalFlora
KS Wildflowers
PNW Herbaria
