Solanum villosum

Solanum villosum
Mature plant of the yellow-fruited nominate subspecies
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Solanum
Species:	S. villosum
Binomial name
Solanum villosum Mill.

Solanum villosum, the hairy nightshade, red nightshade or woolly nightshade, is a sprawling annual weed in Europe, western Asia, northern Africa and is also naturalized in Australia and North America (PoWo Map).

Description

An annual herb, to 70 cm, slightly to densely hairy. The leaf blade is ovate, up to 8 cm long, 3–6 cm wide, entire or shallowly lobed, and petioles to 4.5 cm long. Clusters of 3–8–flowers in the inflorescence. The corolla is white or may be purple-tinged. Followed by dull light red or orange-yellow (depending on subspecies) globular berries, 5–9 mm diam. The seeds are 1.7–2.3 mm long and pale yellow. Compared to S. nigrum, aside from fruit colour the peduncles are moderate (S. nigrum peduncles can become quite long relative to the pedicels).

Note that in Old World flora (Flora of Turkey, Flora Europaea), Solanum alatum Moench should be taken as this species (subsp. miniatum), but in North America the same should be taken as stands, S. alatum Moench (PoWo) with synonym Solanum emulans Raf.

Subspecies

Sources

• S. villosum Mill. ssp villosum (syn. S. luteum Mill ssp luteum) -- hairs projecting, denser, with glandular hairs.

• S. villosum ssp miniatum (Bernh. ex Willd.) Edmonds (syn S. miniatum Bernh. ex Whilld., S. luteum ssp alatum (Moench) Dostâl) -- hairs appressed, sparser, non-glandular (rather resembling S. nigrum ssp. nigrum with orange fruit).