Species

Solanum marginatum

Etymology

Solanum: Derivation uncertain - possibly from the Latin word sol, meaning "sun," referring to its status as a plant of the sun. Another possibility is that the root was solare, meaning "to soothe," or solamen, meaning "a comfort," which would refer to the soothing effects of the plant upon ingestion.
marginatum: From the Latin marginatus 'edge, margin', where one colour is surrounded by a very narrow rim of another

Common Name(s)

white-edged nightshade

Authority

Solanum marginatum L.

Family

Solanaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

SOLMAR

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Features

A much branched perennial shrub or small tree, to 5m tall. Prickly (to 1.5 cm long) stems and leaves. Leaves 25 x 18 cm, borne on c. 4cm long stalks; broadly ovate. Usually dark green above except for white hairy margins; undersides white felted. Midrib and veins prickly on veins above. Inconspicuous white (sometimes with mauve veins) flowers, 2.5 - 3.5 cm diam.; round hard yellow, tomato-like fruit.

Similar Taxa

Hairy fruits, large conspicuous auricles on the vegetative shoots, the large entire woolly leaves and by being the only nightshade in New Zealand which forms a small tree. (Webb et al 1988).

Flowering

November, December, January, February, March

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Year Naturalised

1883

Origin

N.E. Africa

Dispersal
fruit moving in water. cannot discount dispersal by birds or other animals (DoC, 1998).

This page last updated on 31 Jul 2014