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American Black Nightshade

Solanum americanum Mill.

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The leaves are used as a vegetable, yielding a heat-clearing effect. Whole plant can be used for treating inflammation, dissipating blood stasis, and promoting the subsidence of swelling, also clearing away heat and detoxifying.

This species was reported in FRPS as Solanum nigrum and S. photeinocarpum. However, S. nigrum is actually a different species, treated below. A variant of S. americanum was reported for China by Wessely (Feddes Repert. 63: 293. 1960) as S. nigrum L. var. violaceum Chen and in FRPS as S. photeinocarpum var. violaceum (Chen) C. Y. Wu & S. C. Huang, but we were unable to locate the original description of this variety or material of it.

Solanum ganchouenense was based on a specimen from Guizhou, which was not seen for this treatment. The original description separates the species from S. nigrum in having narrower leaves, larger umbellate inflorescences with more flowers, and revolute anthers that dry green. The anther description more resembles Capsicum than Solanum.

Some material of this species was recorded in FRPS as Solanum suffruticosum Schousboe. The type of the latter (B-W 4363), with its slender, slightly elongated inflorescences and sparingly dentate leaves, resembles S. americanum, but from the microfiche copy available, this determination is not certain.

Solanum opacum A. Braun & Bouché, which resembles S. americanum except for its yellowish green fruit, may also occur in Yunnan.

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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 17: 317 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of China @ eFloras.org
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Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
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eFloras.org
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Description

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Herbs annual or short-lived perennial, glabrescent or puberulent with simple hairs. Stems green or purple, mostly erect, 25-100 cm tall. Petiole 1-2 cm; leaf blade ovate, 4-8 × 2-4 cm, membranous, glabrescent or sparsely pubescent, base truncate to cuneate, margin entire or sparingly dentate, apex acute. Inflorescences extra-axillary, subumbellate, 3-6(-l0)-flowered; peduncle 1-2.5 cm. Pedicel 5-10 mm. Calyx cup-shaped, 1.5-2 mm in diam., lobed nearly halfway; lobes ovate, pubescent abaxially, ciliate. Corolla white, rarely bluish or purplish, sometimes with a yellow eye, 3-5 mm, lobed halfway or more; lobes ovate-oblong, 3-4 mm, pubescent abaxially, ciliate. Filaments short, ca. 0.5 mm, puberulent; anthers 1-1.5 mm. Fruiting pedicel erect or nodding; fruiting calyx strongly reflexed. Berry shiny black, occasionally ripening green, globose, 5-8 mm in diam. Seeds discoid, 1.5-2 mm in diam. Fl. Jun-Oct, Fr. Jul-Jan.
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cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 17: 317 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
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eFloras

Distribution

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Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan [widespread in all tropical and temperate regions]
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cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 17: 317 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
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eFloras

Habitat

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Waste places, roadsides, fields; 100-2000 m.
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cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 17: 317 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
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eFloras

Synonym

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Solanum ganchouenense H. Léveille; S. nigrum Linnaeus var. pauciflorum Liou; S. photeinocarpum Nakamura & Odashima.
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cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of China Vol. 17: 317 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of China @ eFloras.org
editor
Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven & Hong Deyuan
project
eFloras.org
original
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eFloras

Derivation of specific name

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americanum: American
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Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Solanum americanum Mill. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=150590
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Mark Hyde
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Bart Wursten
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Petra Ballings
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Flora of Zimbabwe

Solanum americanum

provided by wikipedia EN

Solanum americanum, commonly known as American black nightshade,[3] small-flowered nightshade[4] or glossy nightshade, is a herbaceous flowering plant of wide though uncertain native range. The certain native range encompasses the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, Melanesia, New Guinea, and Australia.[5]

The plant is widely naturalised around the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans, including Hawaiʻi, Indochina, Madagascar and Africa, possibly via anthropogenic introduction in these locales.

Solanum americanum is one of the most widespread and morphologically variable species belonging to the section Solanum.[6] It can be confused with other black nightshade species in the Solanum nigrum complex.[7]

Description

Solanum americanum grows up to 1–1.5 metres (39–59 in) tall and is an annual or short-lived perennial. The leaves are alternate on the branch, and vary greatly in size, up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long and 7 centimetres (2.8 in) broad, with a 4-centimetre (1.6 in) petiole and a coarsely wavy or toothed margin. The flowers are about 1 cm diameter, white or occasionally light purple, with yellow stamens. The fruit is a shiny black berry 5–10 millimetres (0.20–0.39 in) diameter, containing numerous small seeds.

Taxonomy

Solanum americanum is a variable taxon. It is considered by some botanists to be more than one species, and others recognise subspecies.[5] Some botanists have suggested that Solanum americanum may be conspecific with the European nightshade, S. nigrum.[2]

Toxicity

Solanum americanum berries

Research indicates the presence of toxic glycoalkaloids and there are warnings to be careful on the use of S. americanum as herbal medicine and food.[7] The green fruit is particularly poisonous and eating unripe berries has caused the death of children.[8] Ripe berries and foliage may also cause poisoning,[8] though the toxicity seems to diminish somewhat with ripening.[9] This is via high levels of the glycoalkaloids, solanine and solamargine.[10] Other toxins present in the plant include chaconine, solasonine, solanigrine, gitogenin and traces of saponins,[11] as well as the tropane alkaloids scopolamine (hyoscine), atropine and hyoscyamine.[12]

Significant amounts of solasodine (0.65%) have been found in the green berries.[13] The ripe fruit also contains 0.3–0.45% solasonine,[13] and acetylcholine, and has a cholinesterase-inhibiting effect on human plasma.[11] In Transkei, rural people have a high incidence of esophageal cancer thought to be a result of using S. americanum as a food.[11] Livestock can also be poisoned by high nitrate levels in the leaves.[11]

Toxicity varies widely depending on the genetic strain and the location conditions, like soil and rainfall.[8][11] Poisonous plant experts advise: "...unless you are certain that the berries are from an edible strain, leave them alone."[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Solanum nodiflorum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Solanum americanum". Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Gardens – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Solanum americanum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  4. ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  5. ^ a b Conn, Barry J. (2001). "Solanum americanum – New South Wales Flora Online". PlantNET – The Plant Information Network System. 2.0. Sydney, Australia: The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  6. ^ Edmonds & Chweya 1997, p. 93
  7. ^ a b Mohy-ud-dint, A.; Khan, Z.; Ahmad, M.; Kashmiri, M. A. (2010). "Chemotaxonomic value of alkaloids in Solanum nigrum complex" (PDF). Pakistan Journal of Botany. 42 (1): 653–660. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Tull, D. (1999). Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest: A Practical Guide. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-78164-1.
  9. ^ Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 804. ISBN 0-394-50432-1.
  10. ^ Al Chami, L.; Mendez, R.; Chataing, B.; O'Callaghan, J.; Usubilliga, A.; Lacruz, L. (2003). "Toxicological effects of α-solamargine in experimental animals". Phytotherapy Research. 17 (3): 254–8. doi:10.1002/ptr.1122. PMID 12672156. S2CID 86042610.
  11. ^ a b c d e Nellis, David W. (1997). "Black nightshade Solanum americanum". Poisonous Plants and Animals of Florida and the Caribbean. Pineapple Press. pp. 76, 243. ISBN 978-1-56164-111-6.
  12. ^ Wildflowers of Tucson — Arizona Poisonous Tucson Plants
  13. ^ a b Edmonds & Chweya 1997, p. 66
  14. ^ Turner, Nancy J.; Aderka, P.von (2009). The North American guide to common poisonous plants and mushrooms. Timber Press. pp. 181–2. ISBN 978-0-88192-929-4.

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wikipedia EN

Solanum americanum: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Solanum americanum, commonly known as American black nightshade, small-flowered nightshade or glossy nightshade, is a herbaceous flowering plant of wide though uncertain native range. The certain native range encompasses the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, Melanesia, New Guinea, and Australia.

The plant is widely naturalised around the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans, including Hawaiʻi, Indochina, Madagascar and Africa, possibly via anthropogenic introduction in these locales.

Solanum americanum is one of the most widespread and morphologically variable species belonging to the section Solanum. It can be confused with other black nightshade species in the Solanum nigrum complex.

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Wikipedia authors and editors
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wikipedia EN