• Family : SOLANACEAE
  (NIGHTSHADE FAMILY OR BRINJAL FAMILY)
• Family (as per The Plant List) : Solanaceae
• Species : Solanum seaforthianum
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Solanum seaforthianum Andrews
• Common name : The Potato Creeper
• Key identification features : A twining glabrous herb forming dense bushes. Leaves are alternate and deeply lobed. Flowers (2-2.5 cm) are in solitary or subterminal bunches. Sepals are small and angular. Petals are five, fused but free almost up to the base. Anthers are 5, oblong, and bright yellow. Fruit is a globose berry, dark red or scarlet-red when ripe.
• Habit : Climbing Shrub
• Flower, Fruit : July-February
• Native : Brazil
• Comments : Commonly seen as a hedge plant around estates and also grown in gardens. Occasional on hedges and hills above 800 m in southern Eastern Ghats.
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Distribution Locality : Bellary district (Karnataka State); Shevaroy Hills (Salem district), Melagiri Hills (Dharmapuri district), Javadhu Hills (Tiruvannamalai district, former North Arcot) (Tamil Nadu State); Pecheruvu R.F. (Kurnool district), Horsley Hills (Chittoor district), Thummalabailu R.F. (Prakasham district) (Andhra Pradesh State)
• World Distribution : Naturalized in Tropics
• Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
• Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Solanum seaforthianum. Downloaded on 21 November 2024.

Description

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