Eastern Black Nightshade 

Solanum alatum

so-LAN-num (so-LAY-num) ????

Several websites use the scientific names Solanum emulans, Solanum ptycanthum, Solanum ptychanthum, and perhaps others. I think the name has changed several times in recent years, and now back to where it started with Solanum alatum…

Synonyms of Solanum alatum Moench (13) (Updated on 12-29-23 from Pants of the World Online): Solanum adventitium Polg. (1925 publ. 1926), Solanum dillenianum Polgar (1939) (nom. superfl.), Solanum emulans Raf. (1840), Solanum heterogonum Dunal (1852), not validly pub), Solanum luteum subsp. alatum (Moench) Dostál (1949), Solanum morella proles alatum (Moench) Rouy & Foucaud (1908) (not validly publ.), Solanum nigrum var. alatum (Moench) Fiori (1926), Solanum nigrum subsp. alatum (Moench) Čelak. (1871), Solanum nigrum proles alatum (Moench) Rouy (1908), Solanum nigrum var. virginicum L. (1753), Solanum pterocaulon var. heterogonum Dunal (1852), Solanum villosum subsp. alatum (Moench) J.M.Edmonds (1977), Solanum villosum var. alatum (Moench) Marzell (1927)

Solanum alatum Moench is now once again the accepted scientific name for the Eastern Nightshade. It was named and described as such by Conrad Moench in Methodus Plantas Horti Botanici et Agri Marburgensis in 1794.

Commonly used scientific names for Eastern Black Nightshade:

Solanum emulans Raf. as named and described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in Autikon Botanikon in 1840. 

The name was accepted following a document published in PhytoKeys, “A revision of the Morelloid Clade of Solanum L. (Solanaceae) in North and Central America and the Caribbean” in 2019… Now it is a synonym again… To read click HERE.

Several websites are using the name Solanum ptycanthum Dunal ex DC. as documented by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis in 1852. The ascribed author was, ummm, Michel Felix Dunal. Tropicos has an annotation that says “orth. var. of “ptychanthum””, incorrect authorship… This scientific name is not on Plants of the World Online, even as a synonym or IPNI (International Plant Names Index), although it is used by MANY websites…

The nomenclaturally correct scientific name for the above, and used by a few websites, is Solanum ptychanthum Dunal. It was named and described as such by Michel Felix Dunal in the same publication as above. I can’t read the publication because it isn’t in English… Plants of the World Online says this species is now a synonym of Solanum americanum…

There are several species in the Black Nightshade or Solanum nigrum Complex and they are hard to distinguish from one another. 

The genus, Solanum L., was described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.

As of 12-29-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 1,234 species in the Solanum genus. The genus is a member of the nightshade family, Solanaceae with 101 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made by POWO.

[Ummm… Several iNaturalist members suggested this species is Solanaceae emulans (Eastern Black Nightshade). Plants of the World Online says S. emulans is a synonym of S. alatum. The Missouri Plants website doesn’t mention either of those species. Type in S. alatum on iNaturalist, and you’ll be referred to S. emulans… I got into a discussion with one of the members who is a Solanaceae expert who said even though iNaturalist uses S. emulans, it is a synonym of S. ptycanthum. I checked that name out on POWO and it said “NO RESULTS.” Hmmm… I checked online and there are several websites about S. ptycanthum. I checked with IPNI (International Plant Names Index) and it said “NO RESULTS.” So, I went to Tropicos… I found S. ptycanthum… It said the nomenclaturally correct name is Solanum ptychanthum and one of its synonyms is Solanum american var. americanum (the autonym of S. americanum)… Then I found that name on IPNI and Plants of the World Online… As a synonym of Solanum americanum (on POWO). HA!!! But, as the iN expert says, the ripe fruit of S. americanum has reflexed sepals and the fruit has white flecks… The ripe fruit of the plant I photographed (see the page) doesn’t have white flecks, and the sepals of the fruit aren’t reflexed. In the flowering stage, the sepals are reflexed… Well, I just have to find more to photograph… Several species of Black Nightshade are in the “Black Nightshade Complex”… I just found out Solanum emulans has been flagged on iNaturalist to change the name to S. alatum…]

The above distribution map for Solanum alatum is from Plants of the World Online. Areas in green are where the species is native and purple is where it has been introduced. I typed in Solanum alatum on the USDA Plants Database for their map and it says S. alatum Moench was a synonym of S. villosum (L.) Mill. (Hairy Nightshade). Well, that definitely isn’t correct. I typed in Solanum emulans and it said “no results found”… I tried Solanum ptychanthum, and it led to S. ptycanthum (West Indian Nightshade). While West Indian Nightshade could be another common name for the Eastern Nightshade, S. ptycanthum is the one with incorrect spelling and authorship. How about just Eastern Black Nightshade… “No results found”… Likely, the USDA is stuck on S. ptycanthum for this species… I couldn’t see the map because my computer was being weird…

The map on iNaturalist is for Solanum emulans and shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations. Solanum emulans has been flagged for curation on iNaturalist to change the name to S. alatum…

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND TO HELP WITH A BETTER PLANT ID.

I spotted a few Black Nightshade on the farm while taking wildflower photos for a post on September 14 in 2018. Strange I had never seen these plants before even though I had been in the spot they were growing many times over the summer. I thought they were Black Nightshade even though I had not seen one in person before. I double-checked with a few websites and I thought they were indeed Solanum americanum. I went back to take more photos after a couple of days and the plants were completely gone… I suppose the only explanation would be that the cows ate them. I find that quite weird since they had apparently been there for quite some time for the plants to have been as big as they were. Why would the cows just decide to eat them then? These plants are highly toxic, even to livestock… Unfortunately, I have not seen any more Black Nightshade on the farm or anywhere else I go wildflower hunting since 2019…

I didn’t post the observation on iNaturalist until February 28, 2020, because I was new to the website. It wasn’t until late in 2022 that an iNaturalist member suggested this species was Solanum emulans. I quizzed him somewhat and he replied and we began a discussion. I didn’t change the name or do any further research at the time because I guess I was busy with other things.

I forgot all about it until another member agreed with S. emulans in December of 2023… It just so happened that I was making updates on the Solanum species on this site at the same time. So, I read all the comments again and decided to dig in… I checked the first iN member’s profile and he turns out to be somewhat of an expert on members of the plant family Solanaceae.

I know I’m blabbing a little too much, but this is what you sometimes have to go through to get to the actual name. First, I checked the suggested scientific name, Solanum emulans, on Plants of the World Online. In my opinion, they are the most up-to-date plant database. It said S. emulans Raf. is a synonym of S. alatum Moench. There are very few websites that use that scientific name. The most commonly used scientific name for the Eastern Black Nightshade is Solanum ptycanthum… Not on POWO or IPNI… I checked with Tropicos (part of the Missouri Botanical Garden) and it said that name was incorrectly spelled and the authorship was also incorrect. It says the “Nommulclaturally correct” name was Solanum ptychanthum Moench… Very few websites even had that name. So, I looked at the list of 13 synonyms of S. alatum Moench and found S. emulans Raf. and S. ptychanthum Dunal. You must understand the author’s abbreviation after the species name, the person who names and publishes the name… Why? Because the same species names were given to many different plants by different authors. It has taken a lot of research for botanists and taxonomists to get the mess all sorted out. My hats off to them! For example, the species name Solanum alatum was given to three different Nightshades… Solanum alatum Seem & J.A.Schmidt, Solanum alatum Moench (1794), and Solanum alatum Dunai (1852).

Well, Solanum alatum Seem & J.A.Schmidt was nom. illeg. because the name was already published twice and became a synonym of S. robustum H.Wendi. Solanum alatum Dunal was not validly published for some reason and became a synonym of S. hoehnei C.V.Mortan (1944).

I’m not going over the rest of the synonyms of S. alatum Moench because I am getting a headache and my head is already bald.

I will come back later and write descriptions for this species. I am making annual updates over the winter.

I have not found this species on the farm or anywhere else since 2018…

Cornel University College of Agricultural discussion comparing three species of Nightshade HERE.

I have enjoyed photographing and learning about the many wildflowers growing on the family farm and in other areas. The farm is in Windsor, Missouri in Pettis County (Henry County is across the street, and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away). I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the page). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a few horticulturalists I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be somewhat variable from location to location, so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and provide much more information. Some sites may not be up-to-date but they are always a work in progress. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you especially if you notice something is a bit whacky.

Links with the “*” in front have been updated, but the others are for S. americanum (American Black Nightshade). Scientific names with the updated links may be for S. alatum, S. emulans, S. ptycanthum, or S. ptychanthum. GEEZ!

FOR FURTHER READING:
*PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
*INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
*TROPICOS (GENUS/S. ptychanthum/S. alatum)
*FLORA OF MISSOURI (GENUS/S. ptychantham)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
*WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
DAVE’S GARDEN
MISSOURI PLANTS (S. nigrum)
*UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI WEED ID
*iNATURALIST
*WILDFLOWER SEARCH
*ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
*IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
*MARYLAND BIODIVERSITY PROGRAM
*MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
*MINNESOTA WILDFLOWERS
*MINNESOTA SEASONS
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
PFAF(PLANTS FOR A FUTURE)
*GO BOTANY
*LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER
FRIENDS OF THE WILDFLOWER GARDEN
EAT THE WEEDS
*SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY

 

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates regularly. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂