Solanum umbelliferum
Solanum umbelliferum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Solanales |
Family: | Solanaceae |
Genus: | Solanum |
Species: | S. umbelliferum
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Binomial name | |
Solanum umbelliferum |
Solanum umbelliferum is a species of nightshade known commonly as bluewitch nightshade,[1] or bluewitch. It can be found in chaparral habitat and low-elevation oak woodlands in California and parts of Baja California and Arizona. It is a small perennial herb or subshrub with dark gray-green oval-shaped leaves on hairy green stems that grow to a maximum height of one meter. It has bright purple or blue frilly flowers with thick yellow anthers at the center. The flowers close into spherical buds overnight. It bears small round green fruits which turn purple when ripe and resemble tiny eggplants.
It is a tough shrub which can grow in rocky and clay soils and springs up in areas recovering from wildfires or other disturbances. Like most other members of genus Solanum, S. umbelliferum contains toxic alkaloids.
References
[edit]- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Solanum umbelliferum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
External links
[edit]
- Solanum
- Flora of California
- Flora of Arizona
- Flora of Baja California
- Flora of the Klamath Mountains
- Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
- Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
- Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
- Natural history of the Channel Islands of California
- Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges
- Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area
- Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Natural history of the Transverse Ranges
- Solanales stubs