木龍葵

Annual herbs or short-lived perennials, glabrate or sparingly pubescent with simple hairs; stems often angular; branchlets pubescent, glabrescent. Leaves solitary, broadly ovate, diamond-shaped, or rounded, often broad, 2-10(-12) cm long, 2-6(-7) cm wide, apically acute, basally cuneate, decurrent, entire, sinuate, or sparingly dentate, glabrate; petiole 4-7 mm long. Inflorescences extra-axillary, subumbellate; peduncle unbranched, 1-2.5 cm long; pedicel 5-10 mm long, pubescent. Flowers with calyx cupular, 2 mm across, puberulent, the lobes triangular- ovate, 0.5 mm long, ciliate; corolla white, 1 cm across, the lobes ovate, 2.5-5 mm long; filaments short, anthers oblong, 2-4 mm long; style pilose. Berry purplish black, somewhat shiny, globose, more than 8 mm across; fruiting pedicel deflexed; fruiting calyx reflexed; seeds discoid, 0.8-1 mm across.

KEELUNG: Pengchiayu Is., Kawakami & Mori 2784.

A cultivated plant in Africa, Madagascar and perhaps elsewhere. In Taiwan known only by one collection. Probably not a member of the flora.

Solanum scabrum resembles S. nigrum and S. americanum but has broad, rounded, entire leaves, large anthers, and large fruits and seeds.