Brazilian Nightshade

The ‘Potato creeper’, according to Parker (l.c.) does well in the lower hills of the sub-himalayan tract, rather than the plains.

A shrubby climber with pinnate leaves; pinnate 5-9 in number; lobes elliptic-ovate, acute, base oblique. Flowers in terminal dropping panicles, blue to light purple. Calyx obscurely 5-toothed. Corolla limb 1.5-2.0 cm broad, lobes acute. Berry globose, c. 10 mm broad.

Vines slender, woody, 1-5 m, glabrescent; pubescence of simple hairs. Leaves simple or pinnately compound; petiole 2-5 cm; leaf blade 4-10 × 4-7 cm, puberulent along veins, base acute, obtuse, truncate, or cordate, usually pinnately (5-)7(-9)-parted; lobes ovate to oblong or lanceolate, unequal, 1.5-5 × 0.5-2.5 cm, acute or acuminate. Inflorescences leaf opposed or appearing terminal, showy, many-flowered open panicles; peduncle to 4 cm, branched. Pedicel 5-10 mm, abscissing nearly at base. Calyx cup-shaped, 1-1.5 × 2-3 mm, truncate or with minute, short deltate lobes, glabrous. Corolla usually purple, rarely white, 0.9-1.3 cm; lobes ovate-oblong, 5-8 × 2.5-4.5 mm, glabrous. Filaments 2-3 mm; anthers free, 3-4 mm. Style ca. 1 cm. Fruit (not seen in Chinese plants) red, juicy, globose, 1-2 cm. Seeds discoid, 2-3.5 mm in diam.

Distribution: A native of Brazil, naturalised elsewhere.

Yunnan (Mengzi Xian) [perhaps native of Caribbean region, widely cultivated and naturalized in many countries].

Near roads, cultivated in gardens; 600-1300 m.

Solanum kerrii Bonati.