American black nightshade (black nightshade)
Solanaceae (Potato family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Introduction
Solanum species are distinctive plants in the Potato or Tomato Family, with 'tomato' type flowers that have typical recurved petals and bright yellow stamens, and alternate leaves.
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Species Information
General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, single, branches, smooth or more or less appressed short-hairy above, 15-60 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stems leaves egg-shaped to deltoid, irregularly toothed to nearly entire, 2-8 cm long, 1-5.5 cm wide, stalked.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a few-flowered axillary cluster on an ascending stalk; corollas white to faintly bluish, 5-10 mm wide, lobed, the lobes bent back; calyces 2-3 mm long at maturity, not cupping the fruit, lobed, the lobes unequal.
Fruits:
Berries, globe-shaped, black, 8 mm wide, shiny, seeds 1-1.5 mm long.
Ecology
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
837 | 118 | 1556 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
55 | 55 | 55 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
324 | 324 | 324 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 4 | 4 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
2 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CWH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CWH(1), ESSF(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
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Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry waste places in the lowland and steppe zones; infrequent in S BC; probably introduced from E or S US.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Solanum americanum var. nodiflorum (Jacq.) Edmonds
Solanum americanum var. patulum (L.) Edmonds
Solanum caribaeum Dunal
Solanum fistulosum Dunal ex Poir.
Solanum hermannii Dunal
Solanum linnaeanum Hepper & P.-M. L. Jaeger
Solanum nigrum var. americanum (Mill.) O.E. Schulz
Solanum nigrum var. virginicum L.
Solanum nodiflorum Jacq.
Solanum sodomeum auct. non L.
Taxonomic Keys
1. Plants climbing or scrambling perennial vines; flowers purple; fruits red.....................Solanum dulcamara
1. Plant annual herbs, not climbing; flowers white or yellow; fruits green or black. 2. Plant spiny; flowers yellow, 2-3 cm wide......................Solanum rostratum 2. Plants not spiny; flowers white or creamy, less than 1 cm wide. 3. Leaves deeply lobed....................................Solanum triflorum 3. Leaves entire, toothed or wavy margined. 4. Calyces 4-6 mm long at maturity, cupping the fruit; stems with spreading hairs.............................Solanum physalifolium 4. Calyces 2-3 mm long at maturity, not cupping the fruit; stems smooth or appressed-hairy...............................Solanum americanum Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia Note that Solanum nigrum (with two subspecies) was added to the BC flora after the publication of the Illustrated Flora, and is not included in this key. It may be confused with Solanum americanum and features overlap, but with good fruiting or flowering material these two species but may be separated as follows: 1. Corollas > 5 mm diameter, anthers 1.5 - 3.0 mm, petals whitish, seeds 1.5 - 2.5 mm, inflorescence raceme-like with an often extended central axis, fruit often dull when mature...................S. nigrum 1. Corollas ca. 4.5 mm diameter, anthers < 1.5 mm, petals whitish to faintly to strongly purple-tinged, seeds 1 -1.5 mm, inflorescence umbel-like with a very short central axis, fruit often shiny when mature.................S. americanum 2. plants subglabrous or often with appressed non-glandular hairs on the stems and leaves...............subsp. nigrum 2. plants villous with spreading glandular multi-celled hairs...........subsp. schultesii Source: Frank Lomer, 2010. |