Solanum wallacei, also known as Catalina nightshade,[2] Wallace's nightshade, Northern island nightshade, or wild tomato, is a perennial plant that produces purple flowers, but otherwise resembles a tomato plant. The foliage and purple-black berries are poisonous.

This rare plant is native to canyons and hillsides on two of the three Channel Islands of California, as well as Guadalupe Island off Baja California.[3] It blooms in April and May.

Wallace's nightshade is named for William Allen Wallace (1815-1893) who collected samples from the Los Angeles area around 1854. Also named for him is the woolly daisy, (Eriophyllum wallacei), among others.

References

  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Solanum wallacei". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  3. ^ California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile

External links