Solanum umbelliferum var. obispoense

Obispo nightshade

Family: Solanaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Obispo nightshade is a California native perennial found in central coastal California in chaparral and oak woodlands at elevations of 300 to 800 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces deep blue-purple flowers in small clusters about 10 to 20 millimeters in diameter. Growing with decumbent to ascending stems up to 50 centimeters tall, it is covered in dark green herbage with spreading glandular hairs. Its leaves are oblong to lanceolate, 1 to 3 centimeters long, with irregular margins that are sometimes crinkled and occasionally feature 1 to 2 pairs of slender side lobes. The fruit is a small round berry 6 to 10 millimeters in diameter.

Habitat: Chaparral, oak woodlands, often after fire

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 300-800 m

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