E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Solanum dulcamara L.
European bittersweet (climbing nightshade)
Solanaceae (Potato family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Solanum dulcamara
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC

Solanum dulcamara var. dulcamara

Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Perennial vine from a rhizome; stems shrubby below, 0.1-3 m long.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves widely egg-shaped, sometimes with basal lobes, heart-shaped at the base, 2.5-8 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of terminal, umbrella-shaped clusters of flowers on stalks 1.5-4 cm long; corollas blue or violet, lobed, the lobes 5-9 mm long but soon bent back; calyces 3-4 mm long; anthers yellow.

Fruits:
Berries, globe- to egg-shaped, bright red, 8-11 mm wide; seeds 2-3 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist to mesic waste places in the lowland and steppe zones; common in SW BC (lower Fraser Valley) infrequent in SC and SE BC; introduced from Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Solanum dulcamara

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	35	385	650
Slope Gradient (%)	0	1	10
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	100	97	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	5	6	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	24
Modal BEC Zone Class	PP
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BG(4), CDF(1), CWH(4), ICH(1), IDF(4), PP(10)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is cool temperate & cool mesothermal.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Exotic	SNA	Exotic	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-02-08 6:49:20 PM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.