Solanum carolinense, L.

Wahlert, Gregory A., Chiarini, Franco E. & Bohs, Lynn, 2015, A Revision of Solanum Section Lathyrocarpum (the Carolinense Clade, Solanaceae), Systematic Botany 40 (3), pp. 853-887 : 865-866

2. SOLANUM CAROLINENSE L., Sp. Pl. 1: 187. 1753. — TYPE: Anony- mous s. n. (lectotype: LINN 248.37 [scan!], designated by Knapp and Jarvis, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 104: 331. 1990).

Upright perennial herb up to 1.2 m tall, unbranched or branched near the base; rhizomatous and spreading horizontally. Stems sparsely to densely pubescent with sessile to shortstalked stellate hairs 0.5–1.1 mm in diameter, with 4–5(–8) lateral rays, the central ray 1–3(–5)-celled and up to 3 mm long, sparsely to moderately armed with straight tapered prickles up to 6 mm long, rarely unarmed. Sympodial units 2- to 3-foliate, sometimes plurifoliate, the leaves not geminate. Leaves simple, the blades 2–15 × 2–10 cm, ovate, lanceolate or elliptic in outline, somewhat discolorous, moderately to densely stellate-pubescent abaxially, less so adaxially with stellate hairs 0.6–1.2 mm in diameter, with 4–5(–6) lateral rays, the central ray 1(–2)-celled and up to 1.7 mm long, unarmed or sparsely to moderately armed with prickles up to 6.5 mm long on the major veins abaxially and adaxially; base cuneate; margin subentire, sinuate, or lobed with 1–4 lobes per side, sometimes very deeply lobed almost to the midrib; apex acute to obtuse; petioles 0.4–4 cm, moderately stellate-pubescent with hairs like those of the stem, unarmed or sparsely to moderately armed with prickles up to 7 mm long. Inflorescences 2–9 cm long, extra-axillary, unbranched, or infrequently branched once, with 2–12 flowers, weakly andromonoecious, the axes sparsely to moderately stellatepubescent, unarmed or sparsely armed with prickles up to 5 mm long; peduncle up to 4 cm long; pedicels 0.5–1 cm in flower, 1.2–1.8 cm long and curved downward in fruit, spaced 0.5–1.5 cm apart, articulated at the base, sparsely to moderately stellate-pubescent, unarmed or sparsely armed with prickles up to 1.5 mm long. Calyx 5–8 mm long, the tube 1.5–2.5 mm long, the lobes 3.2–8 × 1.5–2.5 mm, lanceolate to elliptic, the apex acuminate, moderately stellate-pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, unarmed or sparsely armed with prickles up to 2.5 mm long; fruiting calyx spreading to reflexed, 8–12 mm long, the tube 0.2–2 mm long, the lobes 5–9 × 1.5–3.2 mm, narrowly triangular, moderately stellatepubescent, unarmed or sparsely armed with prickles up to 2 mm long. Corollas 2.2–3 cm in diameter, 9–15 mm long, stellate to stellate-pentagonal or rotate-stellate, chartaceous, white to pale blue, the tube 2–6 mm long, the lobes 7–12 × 4–7 mm, deltate to triangular, the apex acute, moderately stellate-pubescent abaxially, sparsely so adaxially. Stamens with filaments 1–3 × 0.3–0.5 mm; anthers 4.5–6.5 × 1.2–1.6 mm, narrowly lanceolate, somewhat connivent, yellow, the pores directed distally. Ovary 1.2–1.5 × 0.5–1.2 mm, ovoid, glabrous or sparsely to moderately glandular-pubescent with hairs up to 0.3 mm long, rarely moderately pubescent with white stellate or simple hairs; style 8–12 × 0.2–0.5 mm, cylindrical, straight, glabrous, often sparsely glandular-pubescent at the base, rarely moderately pubescent with white stellate or simple hairs, exserted in hermaphroditic flowers; stigma capitate. Fruits 1–2 × 1–1.8 cm, subglobose to depressed globose, the apex rounded, light green with darker green mottling or pale greenish-white when immature, bright yellow at maturity, glabrous, the rind tough. Seeds 1.7–2.4 × 1.6–1.8 mm, flattened-reniform, lenticular, yellow, the surface finely foveolate.

KEY TO THE VARIETIES OF SOLANUM CAROLINENSE

1. Leaf margins subentire, sinuate, or lobed; sinuses of lobes, when present, reaching less than half the distance to the midvein; apex of leaf lobes subacute to acute, sometimes rounded.................... Solanum carolinense var. carolinense

1′. Leaf margins deeply lobed to parted; sinuses of lobes reaching more than half the distance to the midvein or almost to the midvein; apex of leaf lobes typically rounded............................ Solanum carolinense var. floridanum