Solanum elaeagnifolium

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Solanum elaeagnifolium
Solanum elaeagnifolium2.jpg
Plant with flowers, unripe berries (green with stripes, center), and previous year's berries (orange, upper left)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Solanales
Family: Solanaceae
Genus: Solanum
Species:
S. elaeagnifolium
Binomial name
Solanum elaeagnifolium
Synonyms

See text

Solanum elaeagnifolium, the silverleaf nightshade [1] or silver-leaved nightshade, is a species of plant in the nightshade family native to North and South America. It is common in parts of southwestern USA, and sometimes weed of western North America. Other common names include prairie berry, silverleaf nettle, white horsenettle or silver nightshade. In South Africa it is known as silver-leaf bitter-apple or satansbos ("Satan's bush" in Afrikaans). More ambiguous names include "bull-nettle", "horsenettle" and the Spanish "trompillo". [2]

Contents

Solanum elaeagnifolium was described by A. J. Cavanilles. The plant described under the same name by W. Herbert and C. L. Willdenow based on E.G. von Steudel is Solanum aethiopicum .

Description

It is a perennial 10 cm [3] to 1 m in height. The stems are covered with nettle-like spines less than 0.5cm long, [4] ranging from very few on some plants to very dense on others. Leaves and stems are covered with downy hairs (trichomes) that lie against and hide the surface, giving a silvery or grayish appearance. [5]

Closeup of S. elaeagnifolium flower Androceo y gineceo de Solanum elaeagnifolium.jpg
Closeup of S. elaeagnifolium flower
Closeup of S. elaeagnifolium berries Solanum elaeagnifolium berries.jpg
Closeup of S. elaeagnifolium berries

The leaves are up to 15 cm long and 0.5 to 2.5 cm wide, with shallowly waved edges, which distinguish it from the closely related Carolina Horsenettle (S. carolinense), which has wider, more deeply indented leaves. The flowers, appearing from April to August, have five petals united to form a star, ranging from blue to pale lavender or occasionally white; five yellow stamens and a pistil form a projecting center. The plant produces glossy yellow, orange, or red berries that last all winter and may turn brown as they dry. [5]

Ecology

It can grow in poor soil with very little water. It spreads by rhizomes as well as seeds, and is common in disturbed habitats. It is very hard to control, as root stocks less than 1 cm long can regenerate into plants. [6] However, some gardeners encourage it as a xeriscape ornamental.

Its distribution around the globe is in the regions of Mediterranean, South Australia, South Africa, US, Mexico and South America. [7] In the US, its range is from Kansas south to Louisiana, and west through the Mexican-border states of the United States into and in Mexico. In South America it is found in Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile. [8] It may have originated in North America and been accidentally introduced to South America [9] or the reverse. [8] It is considered a noxious weed in 21 U.S. states and in countries such as Australia, Egypt, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. [10]

In a 15-year research research [11] it was indicated that important factors for its expansion are: Elevation of 0-100m, soils with fine texture and in subsoil of medium water availability, soils with high base saturation of the topsoil and low topsoil organic carbon. Also it seems to prefer agricultural use areas, multi-lane road sides and areas near human settlements.

In another study, [12] on allelopathic effects with other plants, it was shown that white oak extract impedes its germination.

Toxicity

It is toxic to both humans and livestock. [13]

Ingestion of silverleaf nightshade has been implicated as a cause of ivermectin toxicosis in horses given the recommended dosage of the drug. Metabolites from the plant are speculated to disrupt the blood–brain barrier, allowing ivermectin to enter and disrupt neurotransmitter function in the brain and spinal cord. [14]

Its thin spines can cause weed dermatitis. [15]

The Pima Native Americans used the berries as a vegetable rennet, and the Kiowa used the seeds together with brain tissue to tan leather. [9]

Synonyms

Flowering branch of S. elaeagnifolium Solanum eleagnifolium az.jpg
Flowering branch of S. elaeagnifolium

This plant has been described under a range of names, all now invalid. These contain many homonyms among them: [16]

S. incanum of Ruiz & Pavón Jiménez is S. albidum as described by Dunal.
S. incanum of Kitaibel based on Kanitz is S. villosum as described by Philip Miller
S. incanum of Scheff. is S. schefferi .
S. incanum var. lichtensteinii and var. subexarmatum are S. lichtensteinii .
S. obtusifolium of Hartweg based on Otto Sendtner in von Martius is S. ferrugineum .
S. obtusifolium of Willdenow is S. aethiopicum .
S. saponaceum of Welwitsch is S. aculeastrum .
S. saponaceum var. uruguense is S. bonariense .
S. uniflorum of de Conceição Vellozo is S. pseudocapsicum .
S. uniflorum of Sessé & Mociño and S. uniflorum of Dunal in Poiret have been identified as Lycianthes mociniana .
S. uniflorum of Lagasca y Segura and Solanum uniflorum var. berterianum are undetermined species of Lycianthes .

Several varieties and forms of S. elaeagnifolium have been named. They are not usually considered taxonomically distinct: [16]

Not to be confused with S. angustifolium of Philip Miller
Not to be confused with S. grandiflorum of Ruiz and Pavón Jiménez

S. elaeagnifolium var. ovalifolium does not refer to the S. ovalifolium as described by Dunal and does not belong to the present species; it is actually S. aridum . Meanwhile, S. crispum var. elaeagnifolium is just the normal S. crispum of Ruiz and Pavón Jiménez. [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Solanum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Solanum is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant. It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanaceae, comprising around 1,500 species. It also contains the so-called horse nettles, as well as numerous plants cultivated for their ornamental flowers and fruit.

<i>Solanum carolinense</i> Species of plant

Solanum carolinense, the Carolina horsenettle, is not a true nettle, but a member of the Solanaceae, or nightshade family. It is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to the southeastern United States, though its range has expanded throughout much of temperate North America. The plant is an invasive in parts of Europe, Asia, and Australia. The stem and undersides of larger leaf veins are covered with prickles.

<i>Solanum viarum</i> Species of shrub

Solanum viarum, the tropical soda apple, is a perennial shrub native to Brazil and Argentina with a prickly stem and prickly leaves. The fruit is golf-ball-sized with the coloration of a watermelon. It is considered an invasive species in the lower eastern coastal states of the United States and recently on the Mid North Coast of Australia.

<i>Solanum mauritianum</i> Species of tree

Solanum mauritianum is a small tree or shrub native to South America, including Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Its common names include earleaf nightshade, woolly nightshade, flannel weed, bugweed, tobacco weed, tobacco bush, wild tobacco and kerosene plant.

<i>Solanum pseudocapsicum</i> Species of plant

Solanum pseudocapsicum is a nightshade species with mildly poisonous fruit. It is commonly known as the Jerusalem cherry, Madeira winter cherry, or, ambiguously, "winter cherry". These perennials can be grown decoratively as house plants, but in some areas of South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand it is regarded as a weed.

<i>Solanum aculeastrum</i> Species of plant

Solanum aculeastrum is commonly known as soda apple, sodaapple nightshade, goat apple, poison apple, or more ambiguously as "bitter-apple". It is a poisonous nightshade species from Africa and only distantly related to true apples. The term "soda apple" probably derives from "Sodom apple", modified due to the fruit's detergent properties.

<i>Solanum mammosum</i> Species of plant

Solanum mammosum, commonly known as nipplefruit, fox head, cow's udder, or apple of Sodom, is an inedible Pan-American tropical fruit. The plant is grown for ornamental purposes, in part because of the distal end of the fruit's resemblance to a human breast, while the proximal end looks like a cow's udder. It is an annual in the family Solanaceae, and part of the genus Solanum, making the plant a relative of the eggplant, tomato, and potato. This poisonous fruit is native to South America, but has been naturalized in Southern Mexico, Greater Antilles, Central America, and the Caribbean. The plant adapts well to most soils, but thrives in moist, loamy soil.

<i>Solanum nelsonii</i> Species of shrub

Solanum nelsonii, common names pōpolo and Nelson's horsenettle, is a partially woody sprawling shrub-like perennial plant in the family Solanaceae, part of the Solanum or nightshade genus. This poisonous plant is endemic to the Pacific Islands. It grows low in coastal sites in coral rubble to pure sand.

<i>Lycopersicon</i> Obsolete genus of flowering plants

Lycopersicon was a genus in the flowering plant family Solanaceae. It contained about 13 species in the tomato group of nightshades. First removed from the genus Solanum by Philip Miller in 1754, its removal leaves the latter genus paraphyletic, so modern botanists generally accept the names in Solanum. The name Lycopersicon is still used by gardeners, farmers, and seed companies. Collectively, the species in this group apart from the common cultivated plant are called wild tomatoes.

<i>Solanum torvum</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum torvum, also known as pendejera, turkey berry, devil's fig, pea eggplant, platebrush or susumber, is a bushy, erect and spiny perennial plant used horticulturally as a rootstock for eggplant. Grafted plants are very vigorous and tolerate diseases affecting the root system, thus allowing the crop to continue for a second year.

<i>Solanum linnaeanum</i> Species of plant

Solanum linnaeanum is a nightshade species known as devil's apple and, in some places where it is introduced, apple of Sodom. The latter name is also used for other nightshades and entirely different plants elsewhere, in particular the poisonous milkweed Calotropis procera.

<i>Lycianthes</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lycianthes is a genus of plants from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), found in both the Old World and the New World, but predominantly in the latter. It contains roughly 150 species, mostly from tropical America, with 35-40 species in Asia and the Pacific.

<i>Solanum sisymbriifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum sisymbriifolium is commonly known as vila-vila, sticky nightshade, red buffalo-bur, the fire-and-ice plant, litchi tomato, or Morelle de Balbis.

<i>Solanum bahamense</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum bahamense, commonly known as the Bahama nightshade, is a plant in the nightshade family. It is native across the West Indies, from the Florida Keys east to Dominica. It is a common species in coastal habitats, often on calcareous soils.

<i>Solanum capsicoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum capsicoides, the cockroach berry, known as polohauai'i in Polynesia, is a flowering plant in the family Solanaceae. It is native to eastern Brazil but naturalized in other tropical regions, where it sometimes becomes an invasive weed.

<i>Solanum lanceolatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum lanceolatum, with the common names orangeberry nightshade and lanceleaf nightshade, is a species of nightshade. It is native to regions of South America, including the Cerrado ecoregion of the Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, primarily in Brazil.

Bullnettle is a common name for several plants and may refer to:

<i>Solanum physalifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum physalifolium, known as hoe nightshade, Argentine nightshade, green nightshade and hairy nightshade, is a species in the family Solanaceae. Native to Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, it is widely naturalized in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, western Canada and the north western United States. Solanum physalifolium has been widely but incorrectly known as Solanum sarrachoides, a different species. It has been listed as a noxious weed in the US states of Kansas and Michigan under this misapplied name.

<i>Solanum esuriale</i> Native Australian plant

Solanum esuriale is a species of perennial herbaceous plant native to Australia.

References

  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Solanum elaeagnifolium". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. Cronquist et al. (1984), USDA (2006)
  3. Niehaus et al. (1984)
  4. "Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav". Noxious weeds. Nevada Department of Agriculture. July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2023.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. 1 2 Cronquist et al. (1984)
  6. CDFA [2008]
  7. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/5aaee890-fa62-4a88-af67-1e221facebd1/wre12556-fig-0001-m.jpg
  8. 1 2 USDA (2006)
  9. 1 2 WSNWCB (2008)
  10. Nugent (2005), WSNWCB (2008)
  11. Krigas, Nikos; Tsiafouli, Maria A.; Katsoulis, Georgios; Votsi, Nefta-Eleftheria; Van Kleunen, Mark (2021). "Investigating the Invasion Pattern of the Alien Plant Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. (Silverleaf Nightshade): Environmental and Human-Induced Drivers". Plants. 10 (4): 805. doi: 10.3390/plants10040805 . PMC   8072529 . PMID   33923898.
  12. http://ikee.lib.auth.gr/record/298909?ln=el
  13. "This is my first test on FB".
  14. Swor, TM; Whittenburg, JL; Chaffin, MK (2009). "Ivermectin toxicosis in three adult horses". J Am Vet Med Assoc. 235 (5): 558–62. doi:10.2460/javma.235.5.558. PMID   19719447. S2CID   8046553.
  15. "Acnistus, Atropa, Browallia, Brugmansia, Capsicum, Cestrum, Datura, Duboisia, Hyoscyamus, Lycium, Mandragora, Nicotiana, Petunia, Scopolia, Solandra, Solanum | SOLANACEAE: BoDD".
  16. 1 2 3 Solanaceae Source [2008]

Footnotes