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• Physical Description
• Distribution
• Growth
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Taxonomy

Physical Description

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]

Flowers: Flower Color: near white, white

Distribution

Growth

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 11. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Solanum:

There are approximately 6,627 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: S. acaule albicans · S. andigenum argentinicum · S. andigenum australiperuvianum · S. andigenum aya-papa · S. andigenum centraliperuvianum · S. andigenum colombianum · S. andigenum ecuatorianum · S. andigenum tarmense · S. boliviense virgultorum · S. caripense jamesonianum · S. chacoense muelleri · S. chacoense subtilius · S. circaefolium quimense · S. commersonii pseudostipulatum · S. dasyadenium potosanum · S. dasyadenium uberius · S. diffusum miozygum · S. dulcamara pusztarum · S. extuspellitum subcoeruleum · S. fraxinifolium pamplonense · S. gourlayi saltense · S. grossularia protaxanthum · S. hastatilobum brachyphyllum · S. juglandifolium cundinamarcae · S. lycocarpum macrophyllum · S. mandonis carabayense · S. melongena agreste · S. microdontum gigantophyllum · S. minutibaccatum curtipedunculatum · S. mite hexazygum · S. nigrum chacoense · S. nigrum dillenii · S. nigrum luteovirescens · S. nigrum luteum · S. nodiflorum nodiflorum · S. paniculatum pseudo-auriculatum · S. parvifolium tropicum · S. pentlandii interandinum · S. persicum pseudopersicum · S. phureja estradae · S. phureja hygrothermicum · S. polyadenium oryzabae · S. simplicifolium gigantophyllum · S. simplicifolium microdontum · S. sodiroi azuayense · S. sodiroi buxifolium · S. sodiroi dimorphophyllum · S. sodiroi ramosipilum · S. sparsipilum calcense · S. stoloniferum moreliae · S. suaveolens microphyllidium · S. swartzianum argyrophyllum · S. swartzianum chrysophyllum · S. syringoideum pilcomayense · S. tuberosum chiloense · S. tuberosum guaraniticum · S. tuberosum yanacochense · S. vespertilio doramae · S. violaceum multiflorum · S. 'Satin Beauty' (Eggplant) · S. abancayense · S. abancaynse · 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 · S. acaule acaule · S. acaule aemulans · S. acaule f. incuyo · S. acaule palmirense · S. acaule punae · 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. acerosum var. nigricans · S. acetosaefolium

Members of the genus Malus:

There are approximately 2,882 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: M. baccata fusca · M. baccata himalaica · M. baccata mandshurica · M. baccata sachalinensis · M. baccata sikkimensis · M. baccata zhukovskyi · M. domestica italo-taurica · M. manshurica sachalinensis · M. manshurica zhukovskyi · M. toringo sargenti · M. 'Adams' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Adirondack' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Admiration' · M. 'Ahrista' · M. 'Aldenhamensis' · M. 'Almey' (Crab Apple) · M. 'Amberina' · M. 'Ambro' · M. 'Ambrosia' · M. 'Annaglo' · M. 'Annavoordeckers' · M. 'Api' · M. 'Ariane' · M. 'Ariwa' · M. 'Aw164' · M. 'Baigent' · M. 'Ballerina' (Crab Apple) · M. 'Baskatong' · M. 'Baujade' · M. 'Bel-El' · M. 'Belgica' · M. 'Bellida' · M. 'Beverly' (Beverly Crabapple) · M. 'Bielaar' · M. 'Black Limbertwig' (Apple) · M. 'Bob White' (Crabapple) · M. 'Bonfire' · M. 'Bowles' Hybrid' · M. 'Braecest' · M. 'Brandywine' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Brina' · M. 'Brushy Mt. Limbertwig' (Apple) · M. 'Butterball' · M. 'Candied Apple' (Weeping Crabapple) · M. 'Candymint Sargent' · M. 'Caney Fork Limbertwig' (Apple) · M. 'Cardinal' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Caudle' · M. 'Cave Hill' · M. 'Celica' · M. 'Chancor' · M. 'Cheal's Weeping' · M. 'Chestnut' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Chilko' · M. 'Comtessa de Paris' · M. 'Coop 38' · M. 'Coop43' · M. 'Coral Cascade' · M. 'Coralburst' · M. 'Courtabri' · M. 'Courtarou' · M. 'Cox la Vera' · M. 'Crimson Brilliant' · M. 'Crittenden' · M. 'Daliest' · M. 'Dalinbell' · M. 'Dalinip' · M. 'Dalirail' · M. 'David' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Decosta' · M. 'Delblush' · M. 'Delcoti' · M. 'Delfloki' · M. 'Diana Spur' · M. 'Directeur Moerlands' · M. 'Donald Wyman' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Doubloons' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'DvP Obel' · M. 'Echtermeyer' (Echtermeyer Weeping Crabapple) · M. 'Ecolette' · M. 'Elberta Limbertwig' (Apple) · M. 'Elise Rathke' · M. 'Elise' · M. 'Elshof' · M. 'Elstar Boerekamp' · M. 'Elstar Reinhardt' · M. 'Enova' · M. 'Evelyn' · M. 'Evereste' · M. 'Excel' · M. 'Excelsior' · M. 'Fenwicks Braeburn' · M. 'Florence' (Flowering Crabapple) · M. 'Fontana' · M. 'Frettingham Victoria' · M. 'Fuji B9' · M. 'Gala Rossa' · M. 'Galton' · M. 'Gardener's Gold' · M. 'Gerlinde'

Bibliography

• Kuang Ko-zen & Lu An-ming, eds. 1978. Solanaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 67(1): 1-175.

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Notes

Contributors:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 30, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 5 providers.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 30, 2007:

• Australian National Herbarium
• , Australian National Herbarium
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15867246
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:821489-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1004557

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.
2. "Solanum". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 314. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.