/SOL_LAX.jpg) Line drawing by M. Szent Ivany, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4 (1981) 66, fig. 14, as S. jasminoides. |
/solanum jasminoides Curtis 33.jpg) S. laxum (as S. jasminoides) from Curtis's Botanical Magazine, t. 33 (1787). |
/S jasminoides wiki.jpg) Buds and flowers: photograph by Bouba from Jardin des plantes, |
/laxum map.jpg) Distribution map generated from Australia's Virtual Herbarium. |
Synonymy
*Solanum laxum Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 1: 682 (1824)
T: Monte Video, Sello n.v.
S. jasminoides Paxton, Bot. Mag. 8: t. 5 (1841).
T: cultivated material possibly collected from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Tweedie; lecto: J.Paxton, loc. cit., t. 5, fide R.M. Harley, Bot. Mag. 177: t. 568 (1970).
S. dietrichiae Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 89: 576 (1929).
T: Qld, A. Dietrich 2789; holo: PR 530859, photo AD.
Description
Perennial climber, green, glabrous except for simple hairs in tufts in leaf axils and axils of larger veins on lower leaf-surface; prickles absent.
Leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate, usually simple, sometimes with 2 small leaves in axil; lamina 3–5 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm wide, concolorous; petiole 1–2 cm long, often twining; juvenile leaves up to 7 cm long and 6 cm wide, deeply lobed, the lobes lanceolate.
Inflorescence branched, c. 20–flowered; peduncle to 35 mm long up to first fork; pedicels 10–15 mm long; fruiting pedicel to 4 mm diam. below calyx. Calyx 2–3 mm long; lobes acuminate, 1–1.5 mm long. Corolla shallowly incised, 20 mm diam., white or pale blue. Anthers 2–4 mm long.
Berry globular or slightly ovoid, 7–9 mm diam., dark blue to shiny black. Seeds 2–3 mm long, grey with pale margin. n=12.
A more comprehensive description can be found at http://delta-intkey.com/solanum/www/laxum.htm
Distribution and ecology
Native to South America.
Widely grown as an ornamental in Australia, sparingly naturalised around Brisbane, Qld, and Sydney, N.S.W.
Common name
Potato Climber, Potato vine, Jasmine Nightshade.
Relationships
Placed in the Dulcamaroid clade of Bohs (2005) together with S. dulcamara and S. seaforthianum.
From the web
Information about this species (as S. jasminoides) as a possible weed globally can be seen on the Global Compendium of Weeds site and in New Zealand can be seen on the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
Images of S. laxum (as S. jasminoides) can be seen on the Desert-Tropicals page
Limited information and links for this species can be found on the Solanaceae Source site, but there are a number of images of the species.
Information about this species on the web should be searched for under both Solanum laxum and Solanum jasminoides.