Solanum umbelliferum var. hoffmannii

Hoffmann's nightshade

Family: Solanaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Hoffmann's nightshade is a California native perennial found in southern California chaparral and oak woodlands at elevations up to 925 meters. Flowering from January to June, this plant produces deep blue-purple flowers in clusters with corollas 15 to 25 millimeters wide. Growing as an erect or ascending herb or subshrub up to 1.5 meters tall with bright green herbage, it has a distinctive appearance. Its leaves are 4 to 8 centimeters long, ovate with broadly tapered to rounded bases and entire margins that are sometimes slightly crinkled. The fruits are rounded, measuring 8 to 17 millimeters in diameter.

Habitat: Chaparral, oak woodland

Bloom period: Jan-Jun

Elevation: <= 925 m

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