Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

212 SOIANACEAE SMITHSON” CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY
raceme lateral to stem: flowers small, to 1 cm across; corolla
white with 5 deltoid lobes; anthers stout; berry shiny black,
held upright, the calyx reflexed.
A nearly cosmopolitan weed, common in Dominica on
roadsides, in fields and disturbed lands: Fern Villa (Hodge
2169), Layou (Hodge 801), Lisdara (Hodge 2453), Morne
Anglais (Hodge SOO), Morne Plat Pays (Wilbur 7888), Pont
Casse (DeFilipps 164), Salybia (Hodge 3086, 3221), South
Chiltern (Ernst 1320), Sylvania (Hodge 798,799,1088,1365),
Trafalgar (Shillingford 209), windward coast (Bryant 124).
Sold in local markets as a culinary green (Hodge and Taylor,
1957605). The unripe fruits are toxic! Adjanohoun et al.
(1985181, pl. 147) reported several medicinal uses.
Ed. Note: There are taxonomic and nomenclatural problems
involved with Solanum americanum Miller and Solanum
nodiflorum Jacquin, both names being widely used in recent
floras. Most specialists agree that these diploid elements are
specifically distinct from hexaploid Solanum nigrum Linnaeus.
Solanum capsicoides
Solanwn capicoides AUioN, 1773:12.--Symon, 1981:lOl.
Solanwn aculeatissimwn sensu 0. Schulz in Urban, 1909,6206, et auctt., non
Jacquin.
Solanwn ciliatwn Lamarck, 1794, Tabl., 2:21.-D’Arcy, 1974:842.
B itard balag ien .
Herb to 80 cm with copious straight spines: stems green or
purplish: leaves ovate to orbicular, sinuate to pinnatifid, ciliate
with simple hairs: racemes short, lateral to stem; pedicels
glandular-hispid; calyx lobed 2/3, the lobes narrow: corolla
white, deeply lobed, 1.4-2.0 cm across; anthers narrow, 6 mm
long: berry red, globose, 1.5-5.0 cm across, with a fleshy skin.
Native in eastern Argentina or Brazil, now widespread; in
Dominica a weed of roadsides and disturbed areas: Delices
(Whitefoord 3691), Fern Villa (Hodge 2219), between Fond
Baron & Pichelin (Ernst 1586), La Plaine (Nicolson 2068),
Lisdara (Hodge 2369), Petit Savanne (Whitefoord 6072).
Fruits of this species and S. mummosum are used in some
countries to poison cockroaches.
Solanum lancifolium
Solanwn lancifoliwn Jaquin, 1788, Coll., 2:286, “Ianceaefoliwn.”
Solanwn scabrwn Vahl, 1797, Eclog., 1:22, non Miller.
Solanwn houstonii Dunal, 1813:243.
Herbaceous or woody vine, armed with hooked spines:
leaves lanceolate-elliptic, entire or sinuate-dentate, glabrate to
stellate-tomentose, armed on the midrib: raceme short, lateral
to stem: calyx 1-2 mm long; corolla white or purplish with
deep, narrow lobes 7-12 mm long: anthers slender; berry shiny
red or range, juicy, 6-12 mm across.
Sporadic in neotropics north of Andes, becoming a noxious
weed; in interior forests of Dominica: Bataca (Stehle 6106,
6401), En Haut Jean (Nicolson 2163, Webster 13512), Laudat
(Eggers 684), Morne Colla Anglais (Hodge 1171), sine loc.
(Imruy 585).
Solanum mammosum
Solanwn mawmoswn Linnaeus, 1753:187.--Symon, 1981:103.
Pilose herb armed with flat, straight spines: leaves broadly
ovate, sharply toothed or lobed: raceme short, few-flowered,
lateral to stem: calyx narrowly lobed to near the base: corolla
violet with deep, narrow lobes 3-4 cm across: anthers slender:
berry yellow, ovoid or pyriform, often with 1-more nipple-like
protrusions from the base.
Neotropics but widely cultivated as a curiosity; in Dominica
on roadsides, perhaps also cultivated: Bellevue (Eggers 685).
Solanum racemosum
Solanwn racemoswn Jacquin, 1760:15.4. Schulz in Urban, 1909,6:223,-
D’Arcy, 1974:857.
Solanwn igneum Linnaeus. 1762270.
Solanwn racemoswn var. igneum (Linnaeus) 0. Schulz ex Boldingh, 1909
[Jul]:178.4. Schultz in Urban, 1909 [Dec]. 6:225.
Slender shrub to 2 m, sometimes armed with straight spines:
leaves lanceolate to ovate, to 20 cm long: raceme slender,
lateral to stem, to 8 cm long: corolla white with deep, narrow
lobes to 1 cm long: stamens tightly coherent in a slender tube
to 8 mm long: berry red, juicy, 6-8 mm across.
Windward Islands and adventive northward: common in
Dominica near the coast, especially in dry areas: Batali River
(Webster 13172), Cabrit (Nicolson 1887, Hodge 802, 3728,
Smith 10327, Whitefoord 3986), Carib Reserve (Stehle 6391),
Castaways Hotel (Stern & Wasshuusen 2429), Grand Savanne
(Wilbur 7669), Loubieree (Hodge 3859,3865), Mero (Nicolson
4046), Pointe des Fous (Ernst 1792), Pointe Ronde (Ernst
1566, Hodge 2699, 2744, 2748), Roseau Valley (Lloyd 559,
811), Salisbury (Chambers 2813, Ernst 1381), South Chiltern
and Scotts Head (Hodge 1609, Stern & Wasshausen 2536,
Wilbur 7588), sine loc. (Imray 356).
The name Solanum igneum referred to coastal plants with
smaller leaves and formidable spines. Such are not considered
taxonomically distinct from unarmed, inland plants. Solanum
racemosum is closely related to S. bahumense and several other
species of the northern Antilles, which differ in flower color
and leaf venation. Fruits of these species are sometimes eaten.
Solanum rugosum
Solanwn rugoswn Dunal in A.P. Candolle, 1852, 13(1):108.-0. Schulz in
Urban, 1909, 6:179.-Ettle & Wadsworth, 1%4:488, pl. 231.-Rce,
1967: 369.
Solanwn asperum sensu Grisebach, 1862:438, ncm L. Richard.
Solanwn verbascifdiwn sensu aucn., non Linnaeus.
Unarmed shrub to 5 m; leaves ovate, to 25 cm long, scabrous
above, stellate-pubescent beneath; inflorescence many-