Ontario Weeds: Hairy nightshade
Table of Contents
- Name
- Other Names
- Family
- General Description
- Stems and Roots
- Flowers and Fruit
- Habitat
- Similar Species
- Related Links
Name: Hairy nightshade, Solanum sarachoides
Sendt.
Other Names: morelle poilue, morelle sarachoide,
Cupped nightshade, Potatoweed
Family: Nightshade or Potato Family (Solanaceae)
General Description: Annual, reproducing
only by seed.
Photos and Pictures
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Hairy nightshade. A. Plant.
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B. Cluster of flowers.
Stems & Roots: Stem branching and
softly hairy, up to 1m (40in.) long, spreading or erect; leaves alternate,
ovate, to nearly triangular (resembling some leaves of Lamb's-quarters),
dull green to gray-green, thick and opaque to transmitted light, 1.5-10cm
(3/5-4in.) long, usually finely hairy, especially along margins and
main veins; some of these hairs with tiny glandular tips (seen under
magnification), giving the plant a slightly sticky or clammy texture;
margins of leaves usually smooth but occasionally with coarse, irregular,
rounded teeth.
Flowers & Fruit: Inflorescence of
3-9 flowers in a short raceme sticking out from the side of the stem
rather than from the axil of a leaf; corolla white or tinged with
bluish-purple; calyx at first small but enlarging with age to 4-9mm
(1/6-2/5in.) across at maturity and acting as a cup around the lower
half (stem end) of the fruit; fruit a greenish berry turning yellowish-brown
to brown at maturity. Flowers from July to October.
Habitat: A native of South America,
Hairy nightshade is found in southern Ontario in cultivated fields
on both mineral and muck soils.
Similar Species: It is distinguished by
its relatively small, thick, non-translucent leaves, its stem and
leaves being finely hairy and slightly sticky or clammy, its inflorescence
a short raceme, its calyx enlarging with age and partially enclosing
the base of the fruit, and its fruit turning yellowish-brown to brown
at maturity.
Related Links
... on general Weed
topics
... on weed identification, order OMAFRA Publication 505: Ontario Weeds
... on weed control, order OMAFRA Publication 75: Guide To Weed Control
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