Harman Patil (Editor)

Ardisia solanacea

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Kingdom
  
Plantae

Family
  
Primulaceae

Rank
  
Species

Order
  
Ericales

Genus
  
Ardisia

Ardisia solanacea Ardisia solanacea Primulaceae image 2398 at PhytoImagessiuedu

Similar
  
Ardisia humilis, Ardisia elliptica, Ardisia escallonioides, Ardisia

Ardisia solanacea, called shoebutton ardisia in English, is a species of the genus Ardisia in family Primulaceae (subfamily Myrsinoideae).

Contents

Ardisia solanacea Ardisia solanacea Shoebutton Ardisia

Description

Ardisia solanacea httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Ardisia solanacea is a 1.5 to 6 meters high evergreen shrub or small tree. The thick branches are usually colored red. The bark is smooth and brown. The glabrous leaves are inversely lanceolate, obovate-elliptical or elongated, they are 7.5 to 17 cm long and 2.5 to 7 cm wide. Towards the front, they are pointed or blunt short, they are narrowed down to a pointed base. The veining is slightly reticulated and after drying translucently dotted.

Ardisia solanacea FileArdisia solanacea 14JPG Wikimedia Commons

The inflorescences are in axillary, corymb-like racemes, shorter than the leaves, and are up to 3 (rarely up to 6.5) cm long. The pedicels are 1 to 3 cm long. The sepals have a length of 2 to 4 mm and are separate from each other. They are depressed ovate, almost circular or kidney-shaped, dotted and ciliated. The petal is pale mauve to dark pink, the corolla lobe is ovate-elliptical or elongated elliptical, asymmetrical, dotted with small scattered glands.

Ardisia solanacea FileArdisia solanacea 11JPG Wikimedia Commons

The 8 mm long and 11 mm wide berries are depressed-globose, first pink, then black. They contain one seed. They are supported on persistent sepals. The juice is purple, and the flesh is white.

Status

Ardisia solanacea FileArdisia solanacea 17JPG Wikimedia Commons

Ardisia solanacea and Ardisia humilis are considered to be included in the single variable species Ardisia elliptica by some botanists.

Distribution

Ardisia solanacea FileArdisia solanacea 12JPG Wikimedia Commons

Ardisia solanacea is native to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and West China. It grows in moist ravines and in the understorey of evergreen to semi-evergreen forests. In the Himalayas it grows at altitudes of 200–1100 m.

Invasive species

Ardisia solanacea FileArdisia solanaceajpg Wikimedia Commons

It is cultivated in gardens in tropical countries for its evergreen habit and showy pink flowers. It has become an invasive species in Puerto Rico, tropical Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory), Florida in the USA, the Caribbean, the Mascarene Islands, the Seychelles, and on several Pacific islands such as Hawaii.

References

Ardisia solanacea Wikipedia