Solanum americanum
| Solanum americanum | |
|---|---|
| File:Starr 010520-0074 Solanum americanum.jpg | |
| American Nightshade | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Genus: | Solanum |
| Species: | S. americanum |
| Binomial name | |
| Solanum americanum Mill. | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
American nightshade (Solanum americanum) is a herbaceous flowering plant native to the Americas, from the south and west of the United States south to Paraguay and Peru; it also occurs in Hawaiʻi, where it is considered possibly indigenous or may be a Polynesian introduction. It is used as a medicinal in Cameroon, Kenya, Hawaiʻi, Panama, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania, and as a wild or cultivated pot herb in Cameroon, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Hawaiʻi and other Pacific Islands, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Sierra Leone, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
It grows up to 1–1.5 metres (39–59 in) tall and is an annual or short-lived perennial. The leaves are alternate on the branch, and vary greatly in size, up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long and 7 centimetres (2.8 in) broad, with a 4-centimetre (1.6 in) petiole and a coarsely wavy or toothed margin. The flowers are about 1 cm diameter, white or occasionally light purple, with yellow stamens. The fruit is a shiny black berry 5–10 millimetres (0.20–0.39 in) diameter, containing numerous small seeds.
Toxicity
All plant parts of Solanum americanum should be considered poisonous as they contain high levels of solanine and solamargine, toxic glycoalkaloids,[2], as well as the tropane alkaloids scopolamine (hyoscine) and hyoscyamine (an isomer of atropine).[3]
Identification
American nightshade can be confused with a variety of other related nightshades. Here is a quick guide for differentiating between species.
- American nightshade Solanum americanum
The undersides of its hairy leaves are not reddish-purple. The berries are speckled with white until it is fully ripe and turns black.
- Black nightshade Solanum nigrum
Berries are purple or dark green and dull. They are almost completely exposed (very small calyx).
- Eastern black nightshade Solanum ptycanthum
The undersides of the leaves are reddish purple and the berries are dark.
- Hairy nightshade Solanum villosum
Berries are light green or yellow when ripe and the leaves are so hairy that they may feel sticky.
See also
References
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- Missouriplants: Solanum americanum (numerous photos, detailed description)
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Solanum americanum
- Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk: Solanum americanum (very detailed description)
- Identifying nightshades as weeds
- Edmonds, J. M. & J. A. Chweya, 1997: Black nightshades, Solanum nigrum L., and related species. Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops 15. - IPGRI/IPK, Rome/Gatersleben 113 pp
- Solanum americanum Mill. on Solanaceae Source - Images, specimens and a full list of scientific synonyms. Full descriptions and identification keys coming soon!
- Plants for a future
- Molluscicidal Activity of the Puerto Rican Weed, Solanum nodiflorumes:Solanum americanum
- ↑ GRIN Taxonomy
- ↑ Al Chami, L.; Mendez, R.; Chataing, B.; O'Callaghan, J.; Usubilliga, A.; Lacruz, L.; "Toxicological effects of α-solamargine in experimental animals", Phytotherapy Research, 2003, vol. 17, no.3, pp.254-258 [1]
- ↑ 'Wildflowers of Tucson - Arizona Poisonous Tucson Plants'[2]
