Solanum mauritianum (Introduced)

Shrub or small trees, 2-4 m tall, branched above to form a rounded canopy, unarmed, all parts densely pubescent with sessile to long-stalked stellate hairs, loose and floccose on young growth. Leaves paler on lower surface, simple, alternate, elliptic, up to 30 x 12 cm on young vigorous growth, usually ca. 18 x. 6 cm on mature stems, margings entire, apex acuminate, base cuneate, often oblique, petioles 3-9 cm long, each with 1 or 2 smaller auriculate leaves in axils which are sessile, rounded, sometime absent. Flowers numerous in branched corymbs; peduncles up to 15 cm long; pedicels 2-3 mm long. Calyx tube short, 2-3 mm long, lobes narrowly triangular, 1-2mm long. Corolla lilac blue with a pale star-shaped area at base, stellate, 1.5-2.5 cm in diam. Stamens 5, inserted low on corolla tube; filaments ca. 1 mm long; anthers oblong, 2-3.5 mm long, opening by terminal pores. Ovary densely pubescent; lower part of style pubescent, 5-7 mm long; stigma green, terminal. Berries dull yellowish, succulent, globose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., pubescent at least in early stages; seeds numerous, flattened, 1.5-2 mm long, testa minutely reticulate.

Solanum mauritianum is a small tree or shrub native to South America, including Northern Argentina, Southern Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.^[1] It has become a widespread invasive weed in Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawai‘i, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Réunion Island, Mauritius, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, India, and several southern African countries.^[2]
Its common names include woolly nightshade, ear-leaved nightshade (or “earleaf nightshade”), flannel weed, bugweed, tobacco weed, tobacco bush, wild tobacco and kerosene plant.
The plant has a life of up to thirty years, and can grow up to 10 m (33 ft) tall. Its large oval leaves are grey-green in color and covered with felt-like hairs. The flower is purple with a yellow center. The plant can flower year round but fruiting occurs in late spring to early summer. It is tolerant of many soil types and quickly becomes established around plantations, forest margins, scrub and open land.
All parts of the Solanum mauritianum plant are poisonous to humans, especially the berries.^[2] Human fatalities have resulted from the consumption of the berries.^[3] The main toxic compound is the alkaloid, solasodine, with the highest content in the unripe green berry (2% – 3.5% dry weight).^[4] Solauricine, solauricidine, and solasodamine have also been found in Solanum mauritianum.^[3]
S. mauritianum is a favoured food plant of the African olive pigeon (Columba arquatrix),^[5] the Cape bulbul and red-whiskered bulbul.^[6] Watt & Brandwijk state that horses, domestic chickens and all birds eat the fruit with impunity, and further state that no records of poisoning in children exist, casting doubt on contrary published accounts.^[7]
(From Wikipedia on 22.2.15)
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Name: Solanum mauritianum Scop.
Family: Solanaceae
Common name: Bug Tree
Native of Tropical Africa
Location: Ooty town, Nilgiris, TN
Altitude: 2000 -2200 ASL
Date: 24 Jan 2011

Which Sp. of Solanum?: wiith ref. to Mutthu`s Solanum.
Id pl of this solanum from Australia.

Solanum mauritianum Scop. [Solanaceae]:
Name: Solanum mauritianum Scop.

it must be without doubt Solanum mauritianum, and not Solanum giganteum.
Got carried away with the reference material at Ref:
http://www.archive.org/floraofnilgiripu03fyso_djvu.txt.

Solanum auriculatum Aiton SN April 10 : Attachments (3). 2 posts by 2 authors.
Solanum auriculatum Aiton, Fam: Solanaceae Frequent shrub in the Nilgiri Hill area and other south Indian hill stations.

S. auriculatum Ait. is considered as synonym of S. mauritianum in GRIN database and other websites, but The Plant List treats them distinct. …, it would be helpful if you can spell out the differences between the species, and whether both are grown in India, so that I can update our key: /species/m—z/s/solanaceae/solanum

This should be Solanum mauritianum…

Thanks for the positive ID

Solanaceae Fortnight :: Solanum mauritianum :: Ooty :: DVFEB22/30 : 5 posts by 4 authors. 7 images.
Solanum mauritianum Scop.
at Ooty on November 15-16, 2011 

not only unique inflorescewnce, there is a peculiar way the smaller leaves that form kind-s corkscrew type arrangement on the stem, Solanum seems to have a varied physical life range

Do you by any chance have a whole plant picture and its habitat.. what kind of soil was it growing in?

Solanaceae Fortnight:: Solanum mauritianum from Darjeeling-NS Feb 44/44 : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (7)
This large shrub was found in a free pocket along a busy road in Darjeeling, distantly I took this as Solanum erianthum until I went closer to see distinctly blue flowers in larger clusters..
I hope this is rightly identified as Solanum mauritianum ..

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