Solanaceae Week: Solanum villosum from Delhi

[Gurcharan Singh]

Solanum villosum Mill., Gard. Dict. (ed. 8) no. 2 no. 2 1768. 

Syn: Solanum humile Bernh. ex Willd.; Solanum miniatum Bernh. ex Willd.

The species is distinct from S. americanum (syn: S. nigrum) in distinctly sinuate dentate leaves, 3-5-fld inflorescence, shorter peduncle usually shorter than 10 mm in fruit, berries red, orange or green, globose or ovoid. The typiical S. villosum has villous stems, and our specimens belong to S. miniatum, sometimes named as S. villosum var. miniatum with glabrescent to slightly pubescent slightly angular stems. Kew Plant list, however, does not recognise it as a distinct variety, and treats S. mineatum as simple synonym of S. villosum..

 

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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/