Solanaceae Week: Solanum diphyllum from Delhi

[Gurcharan Singh]

Solanum diphyllum L., Sp. Pl. 184, 1753

Shrubs, up to 2 m tall, branches erect, younger slightly angled from decurrent leaf bases, older cylindrical. Leaves in unequal pairs; larger leaf elliptic to oblong, 4-10 cm long, 2-3.5 cm broad, margin entire, apex rounded, base attenuate and ducurrent on petiole and stem, petiole up to 1.5 cm long, winged by leaf bases; smaller leaf  almost rounded, 1.5-3 cm long, 1-2 cm broad, subsessile, entire. Inflorescence leaf opposed, scorpoid, 3-10 flowered., often subumbellate; peduncle unbranched, 3-11 mm long, with conspicuous pedicel scars later on. Pedicel 5-12 mm long, erect in fruit. Calyx constricted at base and just below the lobes, 2-2.5 mm long, the lobes deltoid, 1 mm long, ciliolate, 3-4 mm in fruit. Corolla white, 4-6 mm across, lobed 3/4 way; filaments short; anthers, 1-1.5 mm long. Ovary glabrous, style 3-4 mm long. Berry orange, globose, slightly 2-lobed, 7-12 mm across. Seeds yellow or tan, reniform-discoid, 2-3 mm across, margins thickened.

Native of North and South America, cultivated and naturalised elsewhere mainly in tropics and subtropics. Flowers April-August, fruits May-October (in Delhi)

The plant is planted in Delhi at some places. Photographed from Herbal Garden, Punjabi Bagh, Delhi and Old Delhi Ridge.

--
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/

[Ushadi micromini]

Gurucharanji:
What an interesting leaf pattern...
Usha di.

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On Apr 3, 10:10 pm, Gurcharan Singh <singh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> *Solanum diphyllum* L., Sp. Pl. 184, 1753

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