Sunday, September 10, 2017

All in the Family (& Genus): Solanaceae & Solanum

Carolina horsenettle, aka: radical weed, apple of Sodom

I passed a "radical weed" growing by the side of the road which looked to be related to and in the same family of some potatoes I've grown.


How closely related is this plant, which according to Wikipedia is labelled a noxious weed in some states though a southeastern native,  to that purple flowered potato I grew pictured below? Well the Carolina Horsenettle's botanical name is Solanum carolinense and the potato's is Solanum tuberosum, so they share the same genus too.


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