Purple Nightshade, Solanum xanti

About Purple Nightshade (Solanum xanti) 18 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Purple Nightshade or San Diego Nightshade is a semi-evergreen perennial vine in the Solanaceae family. Originally native to California, it can now be found in most of North America. It is found in the Bay Area and the Sierras, but its primary distribution is in the southern California coast and mountains from San Luis Obispo County southward up to 4,000 feet elevation. It grows in shrublands, oak/pine woodlands, deciduous and coniferous forests in sandy, rocky or clay soils. It is found in areas that receive 10-20" of rainfall annually and prefers partial sun. It ranges from two to four feet in height, and two to four feet in width. Purple Nightshade has been observed 'climbing' higher on fences, shrubs and saplings, sometimes 'choking' or blocking sunlight thereby killing off the host plant. Purple Nightshade flowers are a blue purple and approximately an inch wide, and foliage is dark green. It blooms in spring to early summer. The plant is poisonous to humans and some other animals, especially the fruits. Be cautious in using it where children or pets may have access. Due to the poisonous nature of many nightshades, tomatoes (also a member of the Solanaceae) were thought to be equally toxic by many North Americans as late as the early eighteenth century.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub, Perennial herb

Size

2 - 4 ft tall
2 - 4 ft wide

Form

Spreading

Dormancy

Summer Semi-Deciduous, Evergreen

Flower Color

Blue, Purple

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed

, 32 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Eggplant Leafroller Lineodes integraLineodes integra

Rhamphura Altisierrae Rhamphura altisierraeRhamphura altisierrae

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica

Carolina Sphinx Manduca sextaManduca sexta

Armyworm Moth Mythimna unipunctaMythimna unipuncta

Subterranean Dart Feltia subterraneaFeltia subterranea

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 18

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 5° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerates many soils, sandy, loamy or clay. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants

Best used in habitat restoration or "wild" gardens with shrubs such as Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos sp. or Xylococcus sp.), Ceanothus sp., Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis), Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa or berberidifolia), and other woody plants.

Natural Setting

Site Type

Semi-arid bluffs, foothills, canyons and valleys, among larger shrubs or trees

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 117.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.15", Coldest Month: 25.5" - 56.4", Hottest Month: 50.5" - 80.6", Humidity: 0.36" - 29.63", Elevation: -3" - 9752"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Chaparral Nightshade

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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

Purple Nightshade

Solanum xanti

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Purple NightshadeSolanum xanti

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Purple Nightshade

Solanum xanti