Rank Species | Higher classification Solanum | |
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Similar Nightshade, Solanum, Solanum douglasii, Solanum umbelliferum, Solanum parishii | ||
Solanum xanti, known commonly as chaparral nightshade, purple nightshade, and San Diego nightshade, is a member of the genus Solanum. It is native to the Western United States in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon, and to Northwest Mexico in Baja California.
Contents
The plant grows in chaparral, oak woodlands, conifer forests, desert Madrean Sky Islands, and other habitats.
Description
Solanum xanti is a perennial herb or subshrub producing a branching hairy stem up to about 90 centimetres (35 in) in maximum height. The leaves are up to 7 centimeters long and are lance-shaped to oval, mostly unlobed except for occasional lobes at the bases of the blades.
It flowers from February to June in the wild, bearing an umbel-shaped inflorescence with many purple-blue flowers up to 3 centimeters wide. The fruit is a green berry 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide.
Varieties
Varieties of the species include:
Cultivation
The plant is cultivated as an ornamental plant by specialty plant nurseries for planting in perennial border, drought-tolerant and native plant gardens. It grows from sunny locations to dry shade, such as under native oaks.
The plant is deer resistant, due to its poisonous qualities.
Cultivars and varieties available include: