Solanum carolinense var. carolinense

Carolina horse-nettle

Family: Solanaceae · Type: perennial

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Carolina horse-nettle is a naturalized perennial herb found in disturbed places, fields, and roadsides at elevations below 1,700 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces pale violet to white flowers approximately 2 to 3 centimeters in diameter with yellow throat and lobe midveins. Growing 20 to 120 centimeters tall with spreading stems covered in slender white to yellow prickles, it has adventitious roots that allow it to spread aggressively. Its leaves are 2 to 15 centimeters long, ovate to lanceolate, with coarsely toothed edges and dense stellate hairs on the undersides. The fruit is nearly spherical, green to yellow, measuring 10 to 18 millimeters across.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed places, fields, roadsides

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: < 1700 m

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.