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• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Landscaping
• Growth
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
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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 Petunia:

Herbs, usually glandular hairy. Stems erect or reclining, branched. Leaves petiolate, simple, entire. Flowers solitary, axillary, somewhat actinomorphic. Calyx tubular-campanulate, deeply 5-parted. Corolla funnelform or salverform, tube gradually inflated upwards; lobes short, rounded or short pointed. Stamens inserted in corolla tube, included; filaments slender; anthers dehiscing longitudinally; disc glandular, entire or lobed. Ovary 2-locular; stigma indistinctly 2-lobed; ovules numerous. Fruit a dry, 2-valved capsule. Seeds minute, subglobose or ovoid, reticulate-pitted; embryo slightly curved or erect.

About three species: South America.^[2]

Flowers: Large colorful blooms in May, June, July, August, September, until first freeze. Blooms repeatedly. Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Foliage: Summer foliage: Smooth-textured green leaves.

Images:

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Gardens with massed displays. Containers. Hanging baskets. • Care: Remove faded flowers regularly. After first flowering, cut plants back to encourage a second blooming. Pinch growing tips after the plant reaches 3-4" tall, to encourage bushy growth. Only one or two fertilizings per season, or plants will have much foliage, few flowers.

Growth

Culture: Space 24-36" apart. After planting, mulch the entire bed to reduce water consumption and weed competition. Propagate by directly sowing seed after last frost. Collect seeds after drying on plant, and sow collected seeds as soon as possible.

Soil: Soil: Needs well-drained soil.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade.

Moisture: Water Requirements: Water regularly until established. After plants are established, water only when the top inch of soil in the root ball is dry to the touch. Overwatering will yellow and kill plants.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Similar Species

Members of the genus Petunia:

There are approximately 810 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: P. axillaris parodii · P. integrifolia inflata · P. integrifolia occidentalis · P. violacea depauperata · P. 'Able Mabel' · P. 'Adventurer' · P. 'Aladdin Blue' (Blue Petunia) · P. 'Aladdin Nautical Mix' (Petunia) · P. 'Aladdin Orange' (Petunia) · P. 'Alderman' (Petunia) · P. 'Angels Blue' · P. 'Appleblossom Dreams' (Petunia) · P. 'Avalanche Cherry' (Petunia) · P. 'Avalanche Grape' (Petunia) · P. 'Avalanche Lavender' (Petunia) · P. 'Avalanche Red' (Petunia) · P. 'Avalanche Salmon' (Petunia) · P. 'Avalanche White' (Petunia) · P. 'Balfufbrip' · P. 'Balrufllav' · P. 'Balrufpurp' · P. 'Balrufvein' · P. 'Balsundeum' · P. 'Bavarian Belle' · P. 'Big Red Rising Sun' · P. 'Blue Frost' (Petunia) · P. 'Bluette Purple' · P. 'Bodtrublu' · P. 'Bodtrubluice' · P. 'Bodtrubur' · P. 'Bodtrupluice' · P. 'Bodtruwhi' · P. 'Bresh' · P. 'Bresof' · P. 'Brevt' · P. 'Burgundy Dreams' (Petunia) · P. 'Burgundy Ice' · P. 'California Giants' (Petunia) · P. 'Carpet Buttercream' · P. 'Carpet Pink' (Multiflora Petunia) · P. 'Casateau' · P. 'Cascadia Vivid Red' (Trailing Petunia) · P. 'Cascadias Purple Surprise' · P. 'Cascas' · P. 'Caschamp' · P. 'Caschap' · P. 'Cascharme' · P. 'Cascherie' · P. 'Caschico' · P. 'Celebrity Burgundy Ice' · P. 'Celebrity Chiffon Morn' · P. 'Charlie's Angels Blue' · P. 'Charlie's Angels Charlie' · P. 'Charlie's Angels Choice' · P. 'Charlie's Angels Pink' · P. 'Charlie's Angels White' · P. 'Charming Lilac Vein' · P. 'Chilli Red' · P. 'Choice Cascadia' (Trailing Petunia) · P. 'Cobink' · P. 'Conbloss' · P. 'Conblue' · P. 'Concran' · P. 'Condopink' · P. 'Condost169' · P. 'Condost177' · P. 'Condowhite' · P. 'Conglow' · P. 'Conlilac' · P. 'Conmoha' · P. 'Constraw' · P. 'Consuda' · P. 'Conviolet' · P. 'Cruisin' · P. 'Dancas110' · P. 'Dancasbig' · P. 'Dancasblue' · P. 'Dancascharl' · P. 'Dancaschipper' · P. 'Dancaschoice' · P. 'Dancaschop' · P. 'Dancaschrl' · P. 'Dancaspi' · P. 'Dancaspink' · P. 'Dancasplvt' · P. 'Dancasred' · P. 'Dancasvelvet' · P. 'Dancasye' · P. 'Dandbblst' · P. 'Dandblist' · P. 'Dandbpk' · P. 'Dandbpkst' · P. 'Dandbsnow' · P. 'Danpetbright' · P. 'Danpetsweet' · P. 'Danpetviolet' · P. 'Dark Dramatic' · P. 'Diva' · P. 'Dolly' · P. 'Double Wave Blue Vein' (Petunia)

Bibliography

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

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Notes

Identifiers:

• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1034265

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. "Petunia". in Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 332. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.