Summary ⁵

Solanum seaforthianum, the Brazilian nightshade, is a flowering evergreen vine of the Solanaceae family native to tropical South America. As a member of the Solanum genus, it is related to such plants as the tomato and potato. It is characterized by clusters of four to seven leaves and can climb to a height of 6 m (20 ft) given enough room. It blooms in the mid to late summer with clusters of star-shaped purple inflorescence followed by scarlet...

Description ⁶

Creeper or climber, to 7 m or more. Leaves: petiole 1-2.5 cm; lamina c.7 × 5 cm, elliptic to obovate in outline, variously dissected, but mainly pinnatifid to partly pinnate. Leaflets or lobes variable in size, the terminal the largest, ± elliptic, sparsely pubescent to glabrous; base cuneate; apex acuminate; margin entire. Flowers in a terminal branched cyme. Pedicels 1-1.5 cm, thickened below the flower. Calyx very shallowly lobed. Petals 8-12 mm, blue, mauve or purple; anthers yellow. Flowers 10-15 mm in diameter. Fruits 6-9 mm in diameter, spherical, red.

Worldwide distribution ⁷

Native of the Caribbean area (Mexico to Nicaragua and the W Indies)

Sources and Credits

1. (c) James Steamer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by James Steamer
2. (c) Viacheslav Shalisko, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://picasaweb.google.com/103589402830096082775/6466866766990345201#6491841509641626338
3. (c) Viacheslav Shalisko, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://picasaweb.google.com/103589402830096082775/6466866766990345201#6491841509207090002
4. (c) Ricky Taylor, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ricky Taylor
5. Adapted by Ricky Taylor from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_seaforthianum
6. Adapted by Ricky Taylor from a work by (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/30287392
7. (c) Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/30287393

More Info

• iNat taxon page
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