Family: Solanaceae
Author: Mill.
Bibliography: Gard. Dict. ed. 8: Solanum n.° 5 (1768)
Year: 1768
Status: accepted
Rank: species
Genus: Solanum
Vegetable: False
Observations: New World
Description
Glossy nightshade, scientifically known as Solanum americanum, is a plant species belonging to the Solanaceae family. First described in the Gardener’s Dictionary 8th edition by Mill in 1768, this plant is notable for its widespread presence in the New World, thriving in various environments.
This plant is identifiable by its shiny, dark green leaves that contribute to its common name, Glossy nightshade. Its small, white to purplish flowers bloom year-round, adding a delicate touch to its verdant foliage. These flowers eventually give way to small, black berries that stand out against the greenery, though these berries should be approached with caution as they can be toxic if ingested.
Glossy nightshade is not only admired for its aesthetic appeal but is also studied for its ecological and medicinal properties. In many cultures, parts of the plant have been traditionally used in remedies, although modern medical advice typically advises against its use due to potential toxicity.
Primarily found across the Americas, Glossy nightshade has adapted to a variety of climates and soil types. It can often be seen growing in both disturbed and natural habitats, making it a common sight in urban and rural areas alike.
In summary, Solanum americanum, commonly known as Glossy nightshade, is a notable member of the Solanaceae family with a rich history and a significant presence in the New World. Its distinctive glossy leaves, delicate flowers, and small berries mark it as a plant of both beauty and caution.
Common Names
Eng: american black nightshade, american nightshade, black nightshade, common purple nightshade, glossy nightshade, small-flower nightshade, smallflower nightshade, small-flowered nightshade, wild pepper
Dan: amerikansk sort natskygge, storfrugtet natskygge
Swe: amerikansk nattskatta
Por: erva-moura, maria–pretinha, maria-pretinha
Spa: hierba mora negra
Hun: kisvirágú csucsor*
Ces: lilek americký
Fra: morelle d’amérique
En: Glossy nightshade, American nightshade, Black nightshade, Small-flower nightshade, American black nightshade, American blackfruit nightshade, Purple nightshade (common), Smallflower nightshade, Common purple nightshade, Small-flowered Nightshade, Wild Pepper, Bitter-gumma, Black-calalu, Jagueribo, Popolo-kikania, Small-flowereed Nightshade, Apple of Sodom, Bird pepper, Common Nightshade
Az: Amerika quşüzümü
Zh: 光果龍葵
Cs: Lilek americký
Da: Amerikansk sort natskygge, Storfrugtet natskygge
Fr: Morelle d’Amérique, Herbe à calalou, Alaman, Agouman, Brèdes morelle, Brèdes Martin, Morelle, Morelle de Linné, Morelle noire
De: Popolo
Ha: Gautan kaji
Hu: Kisvirágú csucsor*
Pt: Erva-moura, Maria-pretinha, Maria–pretinha
Qu: Qhaya-qhaya
Es: Hierba mora negra, Hierba mora, Guapurucillo, Hierba more, Yerba mora, Yerba morro
Sv: Amerikansk nattskatta
Zh-tw: 光果龍葵
Synonyms
- Solanum pauciflorum ((Liou) H.Y.Zhang)
- Solanum calvum (Bitter)
- Solanum umbelliferum (Torr.)
- Solanum nigrum var. nodiflorum ((Jacq.) A.Gray)
- Solanum papilionaceum (Dum.Cours.)
- Solanum microspermum (Dunal)
- Solanum nigrum var. aguaraquiya ((Sendtn.) Witasek)
- Solanum nodiflorum var. sapucayense (Chodat)
- Solanum pachystylum (Polgar)
- Solanum pterocaulum (Dunal)
- Solanum oleraceum (Dunal)
- Solanum curtipes (Bitter)
- Solanum sciaphilum (Bitter)
- Solanum photeinocarpum var. violaceum ((H.Y.Chen ex Wessely) C.Y.Wu & S.C.Huang)
- Solanum americanum var. nodiflorum ((Jacq.) Edmonds)
- Solanum nigrum subsp. nodiflorum ((Jacq.) Sendtn.)
- Solanum americanum subsp. nutans ((R.J.F.Hend.) R.J.F.Hend.)
- Solanum ptychanthum (Dunal)
- Solanum sancti-thomae (Bitter)
- Solanum rumphii (Dunal)
- Solanum desvauxii (Ham.)
- Solanum nigrum var. violaceum (H.Y.Chen ex Wessely)
- Solanum americanum var. odishense (Kalidass & P.Murugan)
- Solanum minutibaccatum (Bitter)
- Solanum nigrum var. heterogonum ((Dunal) Witasek)
- Solanum nigrum f. grandifolium (O.E.Schulz)
- Solanum nigrum f. rumphii ((Dunal) Miq.)
- Solanum nodiflorum var. petiolastrum (Dunal)
- Solanum pterocaulum var. aguaraquiya ((Sendtn.) Dunal)
- Solanum nodiflorum var. sativum (A.Chev.)
- Solanum inops (Dunal)
- Solanum erythrocarpon (G.Mey.)
- Solanum imerinense (Bitter)
- Solanum amarantoides (Dunal)
- Solanum pterocaulum var. heterogonum (Dunal)
- Solanum nodiflorum subsp. nutans (R.J.F.Hend.)
- Solanum dillenii (Schult.)
- Solanum suffruticosum var. merrillianum ((Liou) C.Y.Wu & S.C.Huang)
- Solanum nigrum var. oleraceum ((Dunal) Hitchc.)
- Solanum indecorum (A.Rich.)
- Solanum americanum var. patulum ((L.) Edmonds)
- Solanum nigrum subsp. dillenii ((Schult.) Schur)
- Solanum americanum subsp. nodiflorum ((Jacq.) R.J.F.Hend.)
- Solanum inconspicuum (Bitter)
- Solanum merrillianum (Liou)
- Solanum nigrum var. angulosum (Sendtn.)
- Solanum nigrum var. minus (Hook.f.)
- Solanum minutibaccatum subsp. curtipedunculatum (Bitter)
- Solanum strictum (Zuccagni)
- Solanum nigrum var. patulum (L.)
- Solanum nigrum f. parvifolium (O.E.Schulz)
- Solanum nigrum f. uniflorum (Miq.)
- Solanum nigrum var. americanum ((Mill.) O.E.Schulz)
- Solanum nigrum f. nodiflorum ((Jacq.) Miq.)
- Solanum nigrum var. pauciflorum (Liou)
- Solanum nodiflorum var. macrophyllum (Dunal)
- Solanum photeinocarpum (Nakamura & Odash.)
- Solanum nigrum subsp. aguaraquiya (Sendtn.)
- Solanum tenuiflorum (Steud.)
- Solanum quadrangulare (L.f.)
- Solanum depilatum (Bitter)
- Solanum tenellum (Bitter)
- Solanum asperum (Hornem. ex Walp.)
- Solanum patulum ((L.) Roth)
- Solanum nodiflorum var. acuminatum (Chodat)
- Solanum nodiflorum (Jacq.)
Distribution
- Alabama (native)
- Alberta (native)
- Argentina Northeast (native)
- Arizona (native)
- Arkansas (native)
- Aruba (native)
- Bahamas (native)
- Belize (native)
- Bolivia (native)
- Brazil North (native)
- Brazil Northeast (native)
- Brazil South (native)
- Brazil Southeast (native)
- Brazil West-Central (native)
- British Columbia (native)
- California (native)
- Cayman Is. (native)
- Chile Central (native)
- Chile North (native)
- Colombia (native)
- Colorado (native)
- Connecticut (native)
- Costa Rica (native)
- Cuba (native)
- Delaware (native)
- District of Columbia (native)
- Dominican Republic (native)
- Ecuador (native)
- El Salvador (native)
- Florida (native)
- French Guiana (native)
- Galápagos (native)
- Georgia (native)
- Guatemala (native)
- Guyana (native)
- Haiti (native)
- Honduras (native)
- Idaho (native)
- Illinois (native)
- Indiana (native)
- Iowa (native)
- Jamaica (native)
- Kansas (native)
- Kentucky (native)
- Leeward Is. (native)
- Louisiana (native)
- Maine (native)
- Manitoba (native)
- Masachusettes (native)
- Mexico Central (native)
- Mexico Gulf (native)
- Mexico Northeast (native)
- Mexico Northwest (native)
- Mexico Southeast (native)
- Mexico Southwest (native)
- Michigan (native)
- Minnesota (native)
- Mississippi (native)
- Missouri (native)
- Montana (native)
- Nebraska (native)
- Netherlands Antilles (native)
- Nevada (native)
- New Brunswick (native)
- New Hampshire (native)
- New Jersey (native)
- New Mexico (native)
- New York (native)
- Newfoundland (native)
- Nicaragua (native)
- North Carolina (native)
- North Dakota (native)
- Nova Scotia (native)
- Ohio (native)
- Oklahoma (native)
- Ontario (native)
- Oregon (native)
- Panamá (native)
- Paraguay (native)
- Pennsylvania (native)
- Peru (native)
- Prince Edward I. (native)
- Puerto Rico (native)
- Québec (native)
- Rhode I. (native)
- Saskatchewan (native)
- South Carolina (native)
- South Dakota (native)
- Suriname (native)
- Tennessee (native)
- Texas (native)
- Trinidad-Tobago (native)
- Turks-Caicos Is. (native)
- Uruguay (native)
- Utah (native)
- Venezuela (native)
- Venezuelan Antilles (native)
- Vermont (native)
- Virginia (native)
- Washington (native)
- West Virginia (native)
- Windward Is. (native)
- Wisconsin (native)
- Wyoming (native)
- Angola (introduced)
- Assam (introduced)
- Bangladesh (introduced)
- Belgium (introduced)
- Benin (introduced)
- Botswana (introduced)
- Burundi (introduced)
- Cambodia (introduced)
- Cameroon (introduced)
- Canary Is. (introduced)
- Cape Provinces (introduced)
- Cape Verde (introduced)
- Caroline Is. (introduced)
- Chad (introduced)
- Chatham Is. (introduced)
- China South-Central (introduced)
- China Southeast (introduced)
- Christmas I. (introduced)
- Cocos (Keeling) Is. (introduced)
- Comoros (introduced)
- Congo (introduced)
- East European Russia (introduced)
- East Himalaya (introduced)
- Fiji (introduced)
- Gabon (introduced)
- Gambia (introduced)
- Ghana (introduced)
- Guinea (introduced)
- Gulf of Guinea Is. (introduced)
- Hainan (introduced)
- Hawaii (introduced)
- India (introduced)
- Ivory Coast (introduced)
- Japan (introduced)
- Jawa (introduced)
- Kenya (introduced)
- Kermadec Is. (introduced)
- Korea (introduced)
- KwaZulu-Natal (introduced)
- Laccadive Is. (introduced)
- Laos (introduced)
- Lesotho (introduced)
- Liberia (introduced)
- Madagascar (introduced)
- Malawi (introduced)
- Malaya (introduced)
- Marianas (introduced)
- Marquesas (introduced)
- Marshall Is. (introduced)
- Mauritius (introduced)
- Mexican Pacific Is. (introduced)
- Mozambique (introduced)
- Myanmar (introduced)
- Namibia (introduced)
- Nansei-shoto (introduced)
- New Caledonia (introduced)
- New Guinea (introduced)
- New South Wales (introduced)
- New Zealand North (introduced)
- New Zealand South (introduced)
- Nigeria (introduced)
- Norfolk Is. (introduced)
- Northern Provinces (introduced)
- Northern Territory (introduced)
- Ogasawara-shoto (introduced)
- Philippines (introduced)
- Pitcairn Is. (introduced)
- Queensland (introduced)
- Réunion (introduced)
- Senegal (introduced)
- Sierra Leone (introduced)
- Society Is. (introduced)
- Somalia (introduced)
- South China Sea (introduced)
- Sri Lanka (introduced)
- Sudan (introduced)
- Swaziland (introduced)
- Taiwan (introduced)
- Tanzania (introduced)
- Thailand (introduced)
- Tibet (introduced)
- Togo (introduced)
- Tonga (introduced)
- Tuamotu (introduced)
- Uganda (introduced)
- Uzbekistan (introduced)
- Victoria (introduced)
- Vietnam (introduced)
- West Himalaya (introduced)
- West Siberia (introduced)
- Western Australia (introduced)
- Zambia (introduced)
- Zaïre (introduced)
- Zimbabwe (introduced)
Additional Images
Flower
Taken Dec 28, 2017 by vini (cc-by-sa)
Taken May 17, 2017 by César Gonzalez (cc-by-sa)
Taken Dec 21, 2017 by vini (cc-by-sa)
Taken Apr 12, 2018 by Mohammed Nazih (cc-by-sa)
Taken Oct 25, 2017 by Dieter Wagner (cc-by-sa)
Leaf
Taken Oct 11, 2021 by Daniel SOTTY (cc-by-sa)
Taken Nov 17, 2021 by Douglas Montanha Giordano (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 13, 2017 by Lobi Francy (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 26, 2017 by Cruz Fer (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 26, 2017 by Cruz Fer (cc-by-sa)
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
© copyright of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Fruit
Taken Dec 30, 2020 by Gomes Emerson (cc-by-sa)
Taken Nov 3, 2016 by Yoan MARTIN (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 26, 2018 by ANDRÉ Hopfe (cc-by-sa)
Taken May 31, 2020 by Leona Hayes (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 23, 2020 by lavendel (cc-by-sa)
Habit
Taken Feb 8, 2021 by David May (cc-by-sa)
Taken Apr 3, 2020 by Sébastien TRASBOT (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 27, 2021 by Sylvaine Gonon (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 27, 2020 by didier riviere (cc-by-sa)
Taken Sep 4, 2019 by Manu Pacha (cc-by-sa)
Bark
Taken Aug 20, 2021 by Jesus José Onaldo de Jesus (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 28, 2021 by Huize Jansen (cc-by-sa)
Taken May 16, 2019 by Guarino Jean Piero (cc-by-sa)
Taken Aug 29, 2014 by Tela Botanica − Yoan MARTIN (cc-by-sa)
Taken Oct 11, 2021 by Daniel SOTTY (cc-by-sa)
Other
Taken Jul 3, 2021 by Fadilalalala Ben (cc-by-sa)
Taken Jul 8, 2019 by Gilbert ROEGEL (cc-by-sa)
Taken Oct 23, 2021 by Amy V.S. (cc-by-sa)
Taken May 27, 2019 by Cheese Lang (cc-by-sa)
Taken May 27, 2019 by Cheese Lang (cc-by-sa)
Sources
- WFO (No URL)
- GBIF (https://www.gbif.org/species/2930222)
- POWO (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:238279-2)
- PlantNet (https://identify.plantnet.org/species/the-plant-list/Solanum americanum Mill.)
Specifications
Growth habit: Subshrub, Forb/herb
Growth
