Solanum seaforthianum, the Brazilian nightshade, is a flowering evergreen vine of the family Solanaceae native to tropical South America and the West Indies. As a member of the Solanum genus, it is related to such plants as the tomato and potato. The plant is highly heat resistant, but cannot tolerate frost conditions. Its other common names include blue potato vine, climbing nightshade, Italian jasmine, potato creeper, St. Vincent lilac, star potato vine and vining solanum.
Description
Red berries
A long-lived scrambling plant, it is characterized by clusters of four to seven leaves and can climb to a height of 6 m (20 ft) given enough room. It is a sprawling perennial shrub or vine, largely glabrous, with glandular hairs present on the peduncles and pedicels; prickles are absent. The alternate leaves are mostly pinnatisect and ovate in outline, measuring 4–10 cm long and 3–6 cm wide, and are deeply lobed and divided into three to nine erratically shaped segments. Both surfaces are generally green and glabrous, except for hairs along the margins and on the veins of the lower surface; the petiole is 2–4 cm long.
It is early-flowering. The inflorescences bear 10–50 star-like flowers, with peduncles 10–60 mm long, a rachis up to 100 mm long, and pedicels 10–15 mm long. The calyx is 1.5–2.5 mm long, with lobes approximately 1 mm long. The corolla is deeply divided, measuring 20–30 mm in diameter, and is mauve-blue, purple or violet in colour. It flowers from spring to autumn or spring and autumn, with clusters of star-shaped purple inflorescence followed by marble-sized berries, that ripen from green to bright red, containing numerous flattened seeds that range from reddish-brown to black and measure 2–3 mm in length.
This species reproduces primarily by seed, which are most commonly dispersed by birds and other animals that consume its fleshy fruit.
Inflorescence
It is early-flowering. The inflorescences bear 10–50 star-like flowers,...
