Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti
Purple nightshade
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Solanaceae · Type: Perennial · Native
Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti (Purple nightshade) is a native California perennial in the Solanaceae family, recognized by . Distinguished by dense mixed hairs and deep violet flowers.
Purple nightshade is a California native perennial found in the California Floristic Province (excluding the Cascade Range and Central Valley) and northern desert mountains in brushy areas and woodland openings at elevations up to 3,000 meters. Flowering from February to June, this plant produces medium to deep violet flowers approximately 15 to 30 millimeters in diameter. Growing as a subshrub up to 1.5 meters tall with weak to stiff, spreading or erect stems that are often much branched, it develops a complex growth habit. Its leaves range from 2 to 10 centimeters long, broadly ovate to lanceolate, with margins that can be flat or slightly crinkled and occasionally featuring small side lobes near the base. The fruit develops as a green structure 6 to 13 millimeters in diameter, with herbage that is light to dark green and generally densely covered in a mix of long spreading hairs and shorter glandular hairs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 23 sympatric species. Distinguished by dense mixed hairs and deep violet flowers.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Brushy areas, openings in woodlands
Elevation: <= 3000 m
California counties: Humboldt, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Kern, Ventura, Lassen, Tulare, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Inyo, Yolo, Santa Barbara, Fresno, El Dorado, Madera, Solano, Tuolumne, Mendocino, Sacramento, Amador, Butte, Placer, Contra Costa, Mariposa, Sonoma, Alameda, Marin, Mono, Lake, Nevada, Plumas, Napa, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Monterey, Santa Cruz
Outside California: northern Baja California
Bloom period
Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti blooms Feb-Jun.
How to tell it apart
vs Lycianthes: Solanum anthers open by pores at tips; Lycianthes anthers split lengthwise.; vs Physalis: Solanum lacks papery lantern around fruit; Physalis has distinctive inflated calyx covering the berry.; vs Phacelia: Solanum has yellow anther cone; Phacelia has protruding stamens and coiled flower clusters.; vs Capsicum: Solanum has rotate star flowers; Capsicum has flowers with spreading petals not forming flat star.; vs Salvia: Solanum has 5 stamens forming yellow cone; Salvia has 2 stamens and square stems.
Frequently asked questions
Is Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti native to California?
Yes. Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti bloom?
Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti blooms Feb-Jun.
Where in California does Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti grow?
Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti occurs in Humboldt, San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Kern, Ventura, Lassen and other counties, at elevations of <= 3000 m.
What plant family does Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti belong to?
Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti is in the Solanaceae family, genus Solanum.
What habitat does Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti grow in?
Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti grows in Brushy areas, openings in woodlands.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Solanum americanum — American black nightshade
- Solanum carolinense var. carolinense — Carolina horse-nettle
- Solanum clokeyi — Island Nightshade
- Solanum douglasii — Greenspot nightshade
- Solanum dulcamara — Bittersweet nightshade
- Solanum elaeagnifolium — White horse-nettle
- Calibrachoa parviflora — Wild petunia
- Calibrachoa sp.
- Cestrum elegans — Purple cestrum
- Cestrum nocturnum — Night-blooming jessamine
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-08
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.