Solanum mauritianum

Earleaf nightshade

Family: Solanaceae · Type: shrub

Earleaf nightshade is a naturalized shrub found in disturbed sites and riparian areas at elevations up to 750 meters. Flowering with purple flowers 10 to 20 millimeters in diameter, with flower lobes sometimes featuring darker purple bases and white midribs. Growing as a densely hairy shrub or small tree up to 12 meters tall with unarmed branches covered in white, branched hairs. Its leaves are large, 10 to 30 centimeters long, elliptic to ovate, with smaller stipule-like leaves in the axils and notably more dense hair on the underside. The fruit is a spheric, yellow, hairy structure approximately 10 to 15 millimeters in size.

Habitat: escaped from cultivation, disturbed sites, riparian areas, sometimes locally invasive

Elevation: <= 750 m

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