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Bluewitch Nightshade
Solanum umbelliferum
  
25 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Bluewitch Nightshade (Solanum umbelliferum) 25 Nurseries Carry This Plant Bluewitch Nightshade (Solanum umbelliferum) is a native shrub Solanaceae (Nightshade) family that is widespread in California in various habitats and vegetation communities, at elevations from sea level to 5,200 feet. The stems are densely hairy and branched. The leaves are grey-green, elliptical to oval, and typically smooth edged. The flower is blue to purple in color, consisting of five petals fused together, with contrasting yellow anthers. The fruit is a sphere 12-14 mm in size. Its habit is mounding or sometimes vining, often found climbing up through more woody shrubs. All parts of the plant are toxic to people and some animals. However, it is very attractive to insects. If given occasional summer water it will stay leafed-out and may even continue to flower. If allowed to dry it will be summer deciduous. This is a very tough, hardy plant that will survive on neglect.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
2 - 3 ft tall
2 - 3 ft wide

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen, Summer Semi-Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue, Lavender, Purple, Yellow

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
The flowers are attractive to a variety of insects, including bees and butterflies

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed , 34 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Lineodes integra Image
Eggplant Leafroller Lineodes integraLineodes integra
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Autographa californica Image
Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica
*
Manduca sexta Image
Carolina Sphinx Manduca sextaManduca sexta
*
Mythimna unipuncta Image
Armyworm Moth Mythimna unipunctaMythimna unipuncta
*
Feltia subterranea Image
Subterranean Dart Feltia subterraneaFeltia subterranea
*
Pyrrharctia isabella Image
Isabella Tiger Moth Pyrrharctia isabellaPyrrharctia isabella

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 25

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils. Tolerates Saline Soil,Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 5.5 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Bee Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with any Sage Scrub or Chaparral plants including Lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Mission Manzanita (Xylococcus bicolor), toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Ceanothus species, Milkweed (Asclepias species), Giant Wild Rye (Elymus condensatus), Sand Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia), Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Monkeyflower (Mimulus species), Encelia californica, Buckwheat (Eriogonum species), Heartleaf Keckiella (Keckiella cordifolia), Penstemon species, Salvia species, Scrub Oak (Quercus berberidifolia or dumosa), and and Yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei or Yucca schidigera)

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: Stored seeds scarification or hot water for 1 hr. only ( Emery and Frey

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
7*, 8, 9, 10, 14*, 15, 16, 17, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Dry, rocky slopes, canyons and mesas throughout the state, in various plant communities including chaparral, sage scrub, grassland, and woodlands

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 3.1" - 117.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.91", Coldest Month: 17.9" - 58.8", Hottest Month: 38.4" - 87.6", Humidity: 0.03" - 43.55", Elevation: -247" - 14460"


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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