Collectanea 2: 288 (1789) APNI
Taxonomic status:Accepted
Occurrence status:Present
Establishment means:Naturalised
Erect or spreading herb or short-lived perennial shrub to 130 cm high, green or with purplish stems, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple hairs; stems often angled or narrowly winged; prickles absent. Leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, mostly 2–12 cm long, 1–7 cm wide, apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate, margins entire or shallowly lobed, concolorous or somewhat discolorous, both surfaces sparsely pubescent to glabrescent; petiole 1–4(–9) cm long. Inflorescences simple, umbellate, 4–12-flowered; peduncle to 2.5 cm long, lengthening in fruit. Flowers on pedicels 5–8 mm long; calyx 1–2 mm long, lobes rounded, 0.4–1.2 mm long; corolla stellate, 5–9 mm diam., white or pale mauve with a greenish-yellow centre, lobes ovate to oblong; anthers 1.2–1.6 mm long. Berry globose, 5–9 mm diam., glossy purple-black; seeds 1–1.6 mm long, fawn or purplish; stone-cell granules present, c. 0.5 mm diam., or absent. Flowers mostly spring and summer.
*CVU, *EGL, *EGU, *GipP, *Glep, *Gold, *HSF, *MuF, *OtP, *Strz, *VAlp, *VVP, *WPro. Also naturalised WA, NT, Qld, NSW, Tas. Cosmopolitan. An occasional weed of disturbed habitats.
The taxonomy of Solanum americanum and S. nodiflorum has been the subject of debate for some time, as has the identity of the Australian plants. Both the names Solanum americanum and S. nodiflorum have been applied to Australian plants in recent literature. However, recent work by Manoko et al. (2007), using AFLP markers suggests that Australian material represents S. nodiflorum, a taxon widely distributed in tropical areas and distinct from S. americanum, considered to be confined to the Americas. Manoko et al. (2007) provide a table of differences between the two species, including style length and style exsertion, fruit pedicel orientation, and whether the fruits are glossy or not. The degree of fruit gloss may not be a reliable difference.
Manoko, M.L.K.; van der Berg, R.G.; Feron, R.M.C.; van der Weerden, G.M.; Mariani, C. (2007). AFLP markers support separation of Solanum nodiflorum from Solanum americanum sensu stricto (Solanaceae), Plant Systematics and Evolution 267: 1-11.
| Bioregion | Occurrence status | Establishment means | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenelg Plain | present | introduced | |
| Victorian Volcanic Plain | present | naturalised | |
| Murray Fans | present | introduced | |
| Gippsland Plain | present | naturalised | |
| Otway Plain | present | naturalised | |
| Goldfields | present | naturalised | |
| Central Victorian Uplands | present | naturalised | |
| East Gippsland Lowlands | present | naturalised | |
| East Gippsland Uplands | present | naturalised | |
| Wilsons Promontory | present | naturalised | |
| Highlands-Southern Fall | present | naturalised | |
| Strzelecki Ranges | present | naturalised | |
| Victorian Alps | present | naturalised |