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Solanum giganteum

(African Holly)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

African Holly

Description

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Family Solanaceae

Herbs, shrubs , small trees , or climbers . Stems sometimes prickly, rarely thorny; hairs simple , branched, or stellate , sometimes glandular . Leaves alternate, solitary or paired , simple or pinnately compound , without stipules; leaf blade entire, dentate , lobed , or divided . Inflorescences terminal , overtopped by continuing axes, appearing axillary , extra-axillary , or leaf opposed, often apparently umbellate , racemose, paniculate , clustered, or solitary flowers, rarely true cymes, sometimes bracteate . Flowers mostly bisexual , usually regular, 5-merous, rarely 4- or 6-9-merous. Calyx mostly lobed. Petals united . Stamens as many as corolla lobes and alternate with them, inserted within corolla, all alike or 1 or more reduced; anthers dehiscing longitudinally or by apical pores . Ovary 2-5-locular; placentation mostly axile ; ovules usually numerous . Style 1. Fruiting calyx often becoming enlarged, mostly persistent . Fruit a berry or capsule. Seeds with copious endosperm; embryo mostly curved .

About 95 genera with 2300 species: best represented in western tropical America, widespread in temperate and tropical regions ; 20 genera (ten introduced ) and 101 species in China.

Some species of Solanaceae are known in China only by plants cultivated in ornamental or specialty gardens: Atropa belladonna Linnaeus, Cyphomandra betacea (Cavanilles) Sendtner, Brugmansia suaveolens (Willdenow) Berchtold & Presl, Nicotiana alata Link & Otto, and Solanum jasminoides Paxton.[1]

Genus Solanum

Herbs, shrubs , climbers , or small trees , sometimes prickly; hairs simple , branched, or stellate , sometimes glandular . Leaves solitary or paired , simple or pinnately compound , mostly petiolate ; leaf blade entire, dentate , lobed , or parted . Inflorescences axillary , extra-axillary , or leaf opposed, mostly racemose, paniclulate, umbellate , fasciculate, or solitary flowers, without bracts; peduncle branched or not, sometimes obsolete . Flowers bisexual or andromonoecious, mostly actinomorphic , often 5-merous. Calyx mostly lobed partway and splitting further at sinuses. Corolla mostly rotate or stellate. Stamens inserted high in corolla tube ; anthers often connivent or connate around style, dehiscing by apical pores , often later splitting longitudinally. Ovary 2-5-locular, with enlarged placentae; ovules axile , numerous . Stigma small. Fruiting calyx persistent, sometimes enlarged and enclosing berry. Berries mostly juicy. Seeds discoid or lenticular ; embryo strongly curved .

About 1200 species: most in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in the Americas; 41 species in China, about half introduced from elsewhere.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Evergreen .

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June, July, August, September. • Flower Color: lavender, purple, violet

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 6-8' tall.

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Space 6-8' apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

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Notes

An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Solanum

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 6217 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

S. abancayense · S. abbottianum · S. abbottii · S. aberrans · S. abitaguense · S. abollatum · S. abortivum · S. abutilifolium · S. abutiloides · S. abyssinicum · S. acanthifolium · S. acanthocalyx · S. acanthocarpum · S. acanthodapis · S. acanthodes · S. acanthoideum · S. acaule (Wild Andean Potato) · S. acaule albicans · S. acaule f. incuyo · S. acaule subsp. aemulans · S. acaule subsp. albicans · S. acaule subsp. palmirense · S. acaule subsp. punae · S. acaule var. aemulans · S. acaule var. albicans · S. acaule var. caulescens · S. acaule var. checcae · S. acaule var. punae · S. acaule var. subexinterruptum · S. acayucense · S. accedens · S. accrescens · S. acerifolium · S. acerosum · S. acetosaefolium · S. achacachense · S. aciculare · S. acidochondrum · S. acroglossum · S. acroleucum · S. acropterum · S. acroscopicum · S. acroscopicum ochoa · S. actaeabotrys · S. actaeibotrys · S. actaibotrys · S. actephilum · S. actinocalyx · S. aculeastrum (Sodaapple Nightshade) · S. aculeatissimum · S. aculeatum · S. aculeatum f. typicum · S. aculeiger · S. aculeolatum · S. acuminatissimum · S. acuminatum · S. acutangulum · S. acutifolium · S. acutilobatum · S. acutilobum · S. acutosepalum · S. adelense · S. adelphum · S. adenochlamys · S. adenophorum · S. adenophorum var. adenophorum · S. adenophorum var. indivisum · S. adenophorum var. typicum · S. adenotrichum · S. adhaerens · S. adoense · S. adscendens (Sonoita Nightshade) · S. adspersum · S. adulterinum · S. adventitium · S. aegyptiacum · S. aemulans · S. aemulans et · S. aenictum · S. aethiopicum (African Bitter Pea-Aubergine) · S. aethiopicum 'Black Stem' · S. aethiopicum 'Burkina Faso' (Eggplant) · S. aethiopicum gilo · S. aethiopicum 'Gilo Black Stem' (Mock Tomato Mini Pumpkins) · S. aethiopicum group · S. aethiopicum 'Jaxatu Soxna' (African Eggplant) · S. aethiopicum 'Jilo Tingua Verde Claro' (Indian Eggplant) · S. aethiopicum 'Keur M'bir N'dao' (African Eggplant) · S. aethiopicum 'N'drowa' (African Eggplant) · S. aethiopicum 'N'galam' (African Eggplant) · S. aethiopicum 'N'goyo' (African Eggplant) · S. aethiopicum 'Ruffled Red' (Mock Tomato Mini Pumpkins) · S. aethiopicum 'Turkish Orange' (Mock Tomato Mini Pumpkins) · S. aethiopicum var. integrifolium · S. aethiopoides · S. aff. stenophyllum · S. affine · S. africanum · S. afzelii · S. aggerum

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 29, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Zhi-Yun Zhang, Anmin Lu & William G. D'Arcy "Solanaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 300. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Solanum". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 314. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009