Solanum viarum
Solanum umbelliferum
tropical soda apple
blue nightshade, blue witch, blue witch or chaparral nightshade, bluewitch 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 0.2–1.5(–3) cm;
blade simple, lanceolate to ovate or obovate, (0.5–)1–4(–9) × 0.5–2(–6.5) cm, margins entire to pinnatifid with 1(–3) pairs of lobes at base, lobe margins entire to undulate, base attenuate to truncate, occasionally subcordate.
extra-axillary, sessile or nearly so, unbranched, 3–5-flowered.
terminal or lateral, leaf-opposed or extra-axillary, simple or once-branched, 5–20-flowered, 1–8 cm.
0.7–1.1 cm in flower, 1–2 cm in fruit.
inserted into small sleeve on inflorescence axis, 0.5–1.5 cm in flower, 1.2–2 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 slightly accrescent, unarmed, 2.5–5.5 mm, glabrous to densely pubescent, hairs unbranched or dendritic, lobes broadly deltate;
corolla pale to deep purple or occasionally white, with green spots edged with white at base of lobes, spots separate or confluent, rotate, (1–)1.3–2.5 cm diam., with abundant interpetalar tissue;
stamens equal;
anthers ellipsoidal, slightly tapered, 3.5–4.5 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.
green, greenish black, or black, globose, 1–2 cm diam., glabrous, without sclerotic granules.
reddish brown, flattened, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, minutely pitted.
reddish brown, flattened, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, minutely pitted.
= 24.
Solanum viarum
Solanum umbelliferum
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 umbelliferum is common in the western part of North America from Washington to Baja California. It is found throughout California except for Modoc Plateau, Desert Province, and Central Valley.
Past treatments have divided Solanum umbelliferum into a number of taxa based on leaf size and shape and pubescence type and density, but the most recent monograph (S. Knapp 2013) regarded it as one highly variable and widespread species in which no character discontinuities can be seen. Glabrous populations from northern California have been called S. parishii, sticky-glandular populations from central and southern California S. xanti, glabrous populations from southern California have been called var. glabrescens, and densely pubescent eglandular populations from central California have been called S. californicum Dunal. Island populations with larger leaves have been called S. clokeyi (but see 52. S. wallacei, a distinct endemic on Santa Catalina Island). A number of new varietal combinations were published by D. J. Keil (2018) to accommodate much of this regional and local variation, but the group needs thorough study using both molecular and morphological analysis across its range to assess the taxonomic validity of these segregants. Some of the variation may be environmental.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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USDA Plants Database
CA
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