Solanum sp.

Description:

This weed was growing amongst various Eucalypt species and native flowers. The flowers are white with a yellow centre, the berries are green with the more mature berries being black. It belongs to the Solanacceae family. The family is also informally known as the nightshade - or potato family. The family includes Datura (Jimson weed), Mandragora (mandrake), belladonna (deadly nightshade), Lycium barbarum (Wolfberry), Physalis philadelphica (Tomatillo) , Physalis peruviana (Cape gooseberry flower), Capsicum (paprika, chili pepper), Solanum (potato, tomato, eggplant), Nicotiana (tobacco), and Petunia.

Habitat:

Open Eucalypt forest

Notes:

Solanum(nightshades, kangaroo apples).A very large genus of herbs, shrubs, trees and even climbers. They are usually hairy, and often prickly. The flower is star-shaped, sometimes a very pointed star, in other instances with almost no points at all. The fruit is a succulent berry. In Western Australia there are 43 native species, mostly in the arid zone, and 11 naturalised ones. Consult a specialist text for exact identification. Two similar species occur on roadsid es and wastelands. S. americanum (glossy nightshade) occurs from Geraldton to Albany, chiefly in wet areas. It is a sprawling or erect annual or short-lived perennial to 60cm. It has oval, dark green leaves. The small, star-shaped white flowers grow in stalked clusters from the leaf axils, and are followed by shiny black berries. A cosmopolitan weed, probably originally from America. From http://www.wswa.org.au/western_weeds/sol...