Solanum wallacei
Encyclopedia
Solanum wallacei, also known as Wallace's nightshade, Catalina nightshade, Northern island nightshade, or Wild Tomato, is a perennial plant
that produces purple flower
s, but otherwise resembles a tomato
plant. The foliage and purple-black berries
are poison
ous.
This rare plant is native to canyons and hillsides on two of the three Channel Islands of California
, as well as Guadalupe Island
off Baja California
. It blooms in April and May.
Wallace's nightshade is named for William Allen Wallace (1815-1893) who collected samples from the Los Angeles
area around 1854. Also named for him, Eriophyllum wallacei
, the woolly daisy, among others.
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
that produces purple flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s, but otherwise resembles a tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
plant. The foliage and purple-black berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
are poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ous.
This rare plant is native to canyons and hillsides on two of the three Channel Islands of California
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
, as well as Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
off Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. It blooms in April and May.
Wallace's nightshade is named for William Allen Wallace (1815-1893) who collected samples from the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area around 1854. Also named for him, Eriophyllum wallacei
Eriophyllum wallacei
Eriophyllum wallacei is a flowering plant in the daisy family which is known by the common names woolly daisy and woolly easterbonnets. This is a small, squat daisy which may grow in clumps or on short erect stems in sand, rocks, and gravel in the southwestern United States. The plant is covered...
, the woolly daisy, among others.