https://www.gardenology.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Solanum_americanumSolanum americanum - Revision history2026-04-10T06:02:54ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.0https://www.gardenology.org/w/index.php?title=Solanum_americanum&diff=2735&oldid=prevWikiWorks at 13:33, 12 April 20072007-04-12T13:33:40Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Taxobox<br />
| color = lightgreen<br />
| name = ''Solanum americanum''<br />
| image = Solanum americanum - Glossy nightshade.jpg<br />
| image_width = 240px<br />
| image_caption = American Nightshade<br />
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae<br />
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]<br />
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]<br />
| subclassis = [[Asteridae]]<br />
| ordo = [[Solanales]]<br />
| familia = [[Solanaceae]]<br />
| genus = ''[[Solanum]]''<br />
| species = '''''S. americanum'''''<br />
| binomial = ''Solanum americanum''<br />
| binomial_authority = [[Philip Miller|Mill.]]<br />
}}<br />
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'''''Solanum americanum''''', the '''American nightshade''', 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 [[Hawaii]], where it is considered possibly [[Endemic (ecology)|indigenous]] or may be a Polynesian introduction. It is used as a medicinal in Cameroon, Kenya, Hawaii, Panama, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania, and as a wild or cultivated [[pot herb]] in Cameroon, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Sierra Leone, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.<br />
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It grows up to 1-1.5 m tall and is an annual or short-lived perennial. The [[leaf|leaves]] are alternate on the branch, and vary greatly in size, up to 10 cm long and 7 cm broad, with a 4 cm petiole and a coarsely wavy or toothed margin. The [[flower]]s are about 1 cm diameter, white or occasionally light purple, with yellow stamens. The [[fruit]] is a shiny black [[berry]] 5-10 mm diameter, containing numerous small [[seed]]s; when mature they should be considered poisonous as they may contain high levels of [[solanine]]. Also, the plant is easily confused with truly poisonous nightshades.<br />
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===Identification===<br />
American nightshade can be confused with a variety of other related nightshades. Here is a quick guide for differentiating between species.<br />
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;American nightshade ''Solanum americanum''<br />
The underside of its hairy leaves is not reddish-purple. The berries are speckled with white until it is fully ripe and turns black.<br />
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;Black nightshade ''[[Solanum nigrum]]''<br />
Berries are purple or dark green and dull. They are almost completely exposed (very small calyx).<br />
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;Eastern black nightshade ''[[Solanum ptycanthum]]''<br />
The underside of the leaves is reddish purple and the berries are dark.<br />
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;Hairy nightshade ''[[Solanum villosum]]''<br />
Berries are light green or yellow when ripe and the leaves are so hairy that they may feel sticky.<br />
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==References==<br />
*[http://www.missouriplants.com/Whitealt/Solanum_americanum_page.html Missouriplants: ''Solanum americanum'' (numerous photos, detailed description)]<br />
*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?100795 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Solanum americanum'']<br />
*[http://www.hear.org/pier/species/solanum_americanum.htm Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk: ''Solanum americanum'' (very detailed description)]<br />
*[http://cropsolutions.fmc.com/Crop_Solutions/Insect_Weed_Detail/0,1778,1805,00.html Identifying nighshades as weeds]<br />
*[http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/337.pdf 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]<br />
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[[Category:Solanum]]<br />
[[Category:Poisonous plants]]<br />
[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]</div>WikiWorks