Scientific Family
Solanaceae
Synonyms
Solanum coronopus
Other common names
small groundcherry
south Texas five-eyes
green false nightshade
green-leaf five-eyes
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
10 inches
Riparian
No
Perennial herb from slender, mostly woody roots; stems ascending, much-branched, especially near the base; herbage sparsely covered with scales and coarse white branched or star-shaped hairs.
Perennial with slender rhizomes. Stems hairy, much branched and trailing. Leaves sparsely covered with coarse star-like hairs. Flowers yellowish-green to purplish on slender stalks in leaf axils; calyx 5-lobed and densely hairy.
Habitat
Dry plains, mesas, roadsides and disturbed ground.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2500
High elevation
7500
Flower Characteristics
Regular-shaped with 5 spreading lobes to 3/4 inch wide on stems in leaf axils and on slender stems. Sepals and petals are fused. Base of petals is raised and white.
Flower color
White to yellowish-green to purplish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
December
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems ascending to trailing, much-branched, especially near the base; herbage sparsely covered with small scales and coarse white, branched or star-like hairs. Leaves linear to lance-like, margin smooth to deeply lobed.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Dark green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Bracts are 5-lobed and bell-shaped, densely hairy and enlarging in fruit to wrap around the berry-like fruit to form a seed pod.
Fruit type
Berry-like
Fruit color
Yellow
Light brown, flattened, kidney-shaped.