I have the following observations
The plant can't be Solanum xanthocarpum which has subsequently been named as
S. surattense and now correctly as S. virginianum, because that plant is a
small spreading subshrub with leaves not velvety.
The name S. indicum applied to Indian plants is not valid. Some of Indian
Plants i.e. S. indicum auct with glabrous fruits is correctly S. anguivi, S.
indicum L. now correctly known as lasiocarpum has tomentose berries.
S. verbascifolium L. now correctly known as S. erianthum has unarmed
stems and leaves.
I think the toss is between S. viarum and S. anguivi:
*Solanum viarum* Dunal in A. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1): 240. 1852
*Syn: Solanum khasianum* C. B. Clarke var. *chatterjeeanum* Sen Gupta.
Herbs or subshrubs, erect, 0.5-1(-2) m tall, armed, minutely tomentose with
many-celled, simple, mostly glandular hairs. Stems and branches terete,
densely and evenly pubescent with many-celled, simple hairs to 1 mm, armed
with recurved prickles 2-5 × 1-5(-8) mm and sometimes with needlelike
prickles 1-4 mm. Leaves unequal paired; petiole stout 3-7 cm, armed with
erect, flat straight prickles 0.3-1.8 cm; leaf blade broadly ovate, 6-13 ×
6-12 cm, with prickles and coarse, many-celled, glandular simple hairs on
both surfaces, these mixed with sparse, sessile, stellate hairs abaxially,
base truncate to short hastate, margin 3-5-lobed or -parted; lobes blunt at
apex. Inflorescences extra-axillary, subfasciculate, 1-5-flowered racemes;
peduncle obsolete or short. Flowers andromonoecious, only basal ones
fertile. Pedicel 4-6 mm. Calyx campanulate, ca. 10 × 7 mm, lobes
oblong-lanceolate, 0.6-1.2 mm, hairy and sometimes prickly abaxially.
Corolla white or green; lobes lanceolate, ca. 2.5 × 10 mm, pubescent as on
calyx. Filaments 1-1.5 mm; anthers lanceolate, acuminate, 6-7 mm. Ovary
puberulent. Style ca. 8 mm, glabrous. Berry pale yellow, globose, 2-3 cm in
diam. Seeds brown, lenticular, 2-2.8 mm in diam. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Jun-Oct.
Wastelands, grasslands, thickets, open forests, along ditches, roadsides;
1400-2200 m. E Xizang (Zaya Xian), Yunnan [widespread in tropical Asia and
Africa].
8. *Solanum anguivi* Lam., Tabl. Encycl. 2:23. 1794. Hepper, Bot. J. Linn.
Soc. 76:290. 1978.
YASIN J. NASIR
A prickly undershrub, 1.5-2 m tall, with dense stellate-tomentose parts.
Prickles up to 10 mm long, erect to slightly recurved. Leaves 4-15 x 3.5-9
cm, ovate to oblong-ovate, repand, acute, both surfaces stellately hairy and
prickly on the nerves. Petiole up to 2.5 cm long. Flowers 4-15 in number,
bluish-purple, in extra-axillary cymes. Calyx ± 4 mm long, campanulate,
stellately hairy. Corolla limb 18-20 mm broad; lobes acute. Anthers 6-7 mm
long; filaments glabrous. Ovary and style pilose-pubescent. Berry globose,
(5-)8-10 mm broad, glabrescent, yellow. Seeds ± 3 mm long, subreniform,
minutely reticulate, foveolate.
*Fl. Per*.: Mostly throughout the year.
Type: Described from Madagascar, Commerson (MPU, syntype P).
Distribution: S. & S. E. Asia, Arabia and tropical Africa.
Solanum viarum
Solanum
anguivi
Prickcle on stem recurved or needle-like prickles up to 10 mm
long,
up to 5 mm long
slightly
recurved.or erect
Petiole 3-7 cm, with flat straight prickles Petiole up to
2.5 cm,
Leaves unequal pairs, 3-5 lobed Leaves
oblong-ovate, repand
Flowers in 1-5 fld racemes Flowers
4-15, in extraaxillary cymes,
white or green
flowers bluish-purple
Berry glabrous, pale yellow, 2-3 cm Berry glabrous,
yellow, 8-10 mm
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=86826&flora_id=5
I would go with S. viarum on the basis of longer petioles and prickles on
leaf surface.
--
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/
On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 9:42 AM, tanay bose <[email protected]> wrote:
> DEAR ALL,
> Please let us come into a decision regarding the specific epithet of this
> particular plant. Let us all supplement our responses with morphological
> points; i.e why you call calling this plant belonging to the partical
> species of *Solanum sp* [ diagonistic feature of the species]. It will
> help us all to get into a conclusion and decipher the cprrect name of the
> plant.
>
> Regards
> Tanay
>
> On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 2:39 AM, R. Vijayasankar
> <[email protected]>wrote:
>
>> Hi, this is *Solanum indicum *(= *S. anguivi*), i think (to be
>> different!!).
>>
>> On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 10:15 AM, Yazdy Palia <[email protected]>wrote:
>>
>>> Dear friends,
>>> I think this is Solanum Viarum Dunal
>>> Please go through the link below.
>>>
>>> http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Solanum+viarum&burl=http:/http:/www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov&btxt=InvasiveSpeciesInfo.gov
>>> Regards
>>> Yazdy Palia.
>>>
>>> On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 1:54 PM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> > Forwarding again for Id assistance pl.
>>> >
>>> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>>> > From: sibdas ghosh <[email protected]>
>>> > Date: 5 February 2010 20:38
>>> > Subject: [efloraofindia:27272] A Solanum sp
>>> > To: indiantreepix <[email protected]>
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > A Solanum (wild), i.d. requested
>>> > From Pingla, Midnapore, W.B.
>>> >
>>> > --
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>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > With regards,
>>> > J.M.Garg ([email protected])
>>> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1
>>> > 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna'
>>> > Image Resource of more than a thousand species of Birds, Butterflies,
>>> Plants
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>>
>>
>> --
>> With regards
>>
>> R. Vijayasankar
>> National Center for Natural Products Research,
>> The University of Mississippi,
>> Oxford, MS-38677, USA.
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Tanay Bose
> +91(033) 25550676 (Resi)
> 9830439691(Mobile)
> 9674221362 (Mobile)
>
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