Solanum rugosum Dunal

• Title

  Solanum rugosum Dunal

• Authors

  Nathaniel Lord Britton, Frances W. Horne

• Scientific Name

  Solanum rugosum Dunal

• Description

  Flora Borinqueña Solanum rugosum Tabacon aspero Tree Solanum Family Solanaceae Potato Family Solanum rugosum Dunal, in Candolle, Prodromus 13; 108. 1852. This species is unusual in the genus Solanum attaining the form and size of a tree, but it is sometimes shrubby; the large, broad, untoothed, very rough leaves are also chartcteristic, and its large clusters of white flowers are conspicuous. In Porto Rico it is most plentiful at middle and higher elevations, inhabiting thickets, woodlands and hillsides, in wet or moist districts. Geographically it is distributed through Santo Domingo, in some of the Lesser Antilles and in northwestern South America. For an account of the genus Solanum we refer to our description of Solanum Seaforthianum. Solanum rugosum (rugose, or rough) may form a tree up to about 8 meters in height, usually lower, with smooth, gray bark; it is devoid of prickles, or other armament, and is sometimes shrubby; the twigs, leaves, and flower-clusters are rough, with dense, stellate hairs. The thin, elliptic to obovate , pointed leaves are from 15 to 30 centimeters long, with stalks about 4 centimeters long, or shorter, the base of the leaf narrowed, and decurrent on the stalk. The flower-clusters are terminal, stalked, broad, rather densely many-flowered, the individual flowers on stalks from 2 to 4 millimeters long; the calyx is 4 or 5 millimeters long, with ovate lobes; the white corolla is from l.5 to 2 centimeters broad, with oblong-lanceolate, pointed lobes; the oblong anthers are about 2 millimeters long. The yellow, globose berries are about 10 millimeters in diameter.