Kingdom Plantae Family Solanaceae Scientific name Solanum wallacei Rank Species | Order Solanales Genus Solanum Higher classification Solanum | |
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Similar Solanum, Nightshade, Solanum parishii, Solanum furcatum, Solanum citrullifolium | ||
Solanum wallacei, also known as Catalina nightshade, Wallace's nightshade, Northern island nightshade, or wild tomato, is a perennial plant that produces purple flowers, but otherwise resembles a tomato plant. The foliage and purple-black berries are poisonous.
This rare plant is native to canyons and hillsides on two of the three Channel Islands of California, as well as Guadalupe Island off Baja California. It blooms in April and May.
Wallace's nightshade is named for William Allen Wallace (1815-1893) who collected samples from the Los Angeles area around 1854. Also named for him, Eriophyllum wallacei, the woolly daisy, among others.
References
Solanum wallacei Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA