Solanum viarum
Solanum pumilum
tropical soda apple
dwarf horsenettle, dwarf 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 0.2–1 cm;
blade simple, elliptic to obovate, 2.2–8.6 × 1.1–5.1 cm, margins entire, sinuate, or shallowly lobed with 2–6 lobes per side, lobe margins entire, base cuneate to attenuate.
extra-axillary, sessile or nearly so, unbranched, 3–5-flowered.
extra-axillary, unbranched, 1–4-flowered, 3–7 cm.
0.7–1.1 cm in flower, 1–2 cm in fruit.
1–3.5 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 or sparsely prickly, 6–7 mm, densely stellate-pubescent, lobes triangular;
corolla white, stellate to stellate-pentagonal, 1.8–3 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue at margins and base of lobes;
stamens equal;
anthers narrow and tapered, 6–7 mm, dehiscent by terminal pores;
ovary glabrous.
light green mottled with dark green when young, yellow when ripe, globose, (1.5–)2–3 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
unknown.
reddish brown, flattened, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
unknown.
= 24.
Solanum viarum
Solanum pumilum
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 pumilum is endemic to Ketona dolomite outcroppings near the Little Cahaba River in Bibb County and on amphibolite outcroppings near the Coosa River in Chilton and Coosa counties in Alabama. It was collected originally from Georgia in the 1830s from Baldwin and Muskogee counties.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
LA Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
