Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam., Tabl. Encycl. 2: 25. 1794, as " sisymbrifolium".

Aubriot, Xavier & Knapp, Sandra, 2022, A revision of the " spiny solanums " of Tropical Asia (Solanum, the Leptostemonum Clade, Solanaceae), PhytoKeys 198, pp. 1-270 : 1

41. Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam., Tabl. Encycl. 2: 25. 1794, as " sisymbrifolium".

Fig. 41F-H

Type.

Argentina. Buenos Aires : Buenos Aires, P. Commerson s.n. (lectotype, designated by Vorontsova and Knapp 2016, pg. 307: P-LA [P00357630, lower plant fragment, Morton neg. 8391]; isolectotypes: P [P00371604, P00371605, P00371606].

Description.

Vorontsova and Knapp (2016: 307-312); http://www.solanaceaesource.org/solanaceae/solanum-sisymbriifolium.

Distribution.

Solanum sisymbriifolium has been collected in tropical Asia in Bangladesh, China, and throughout India (see Saha and Datta 2013); it is native to South America but is widely adventive and somewhat invasive, so it is to be expected throughout the region in highly disturbed areas.

Common names.

China. suan jie qie ( Zhang et al. 1994). India. mulathurivan [Mikir] ( Jain and Borthakur 1986).

Discussion.

Solanum sisymbriifolium is the only spiny solanum species in tropical Asia with deeply pinnatifid to bipinnatifid leaves coupled with accrescent calyces. Solanum multiflorum of the Western Ghats sometimes has deeply pinnatifid leaves, but the calyces are not accrescent and it is a shrub with much smaller flowers (1.3-1.5 cm versus 2-3 cm in diameter). The prickly, accrescent calyx lobes turn back at fruit maturity to reveal the sticky red berries (often cultivated as fruit and called vila-vila in other parts of the world). Some specimens from the Americas have less deeply divided leaves, but all those we have seen from tropical Asia are deeply pinnatifid. Saha and Datta (2013) record it as very common in Tripura.

Solanum sisymbriifolium was introduced very early to European botanical gardens, from where it perhaps was introduced as colonisation expanded. It is a very weedy species, even in its native range; overgrazed pastures can become overgrown with S. sisymbriifolium very quickly. In some parts of Europe, it is planted in fallow potato fields as a trap crop for cyst nematodes; the nematodes lay eggs in the roots of S. sisymbriifolium , but the plants are destroyed before the eggs hatch (Timmermans et al. 2007 a, b).

Specimens examined.

See Suppl. materials 1-3.

Figures

Figure 41. Introduced species of Solanum. Solanum mammosum L. A detail view of a flower (Stevens 35067, Nicaragua) B detail view of a fruit (Stevens 35067, Nicaragua). Solanum robustum H. L. Wendl. C habit (Sampath Kumar et al. 126920, India) D detail view of a short-styled flower (Sampath Kumar et al. 126920, India) E detail view of a fruit (Sampath Kumar et al. 126920, India). Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam. F habit (Sampath Kumar et al. 126922, India) G detail view of a flower (Sampath Kumar et al. 126922, India) H detail view of a fruit (Sampath Kumar et al. 126922, India). Photograph credits: A, B O. M. Montiel C-H X. Aubriot.