Solanaceae
Solanum

Solanum lanceifolium Jacq.

First published in Collectanea 2: 286 (1789)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Florida to Caribbean, Mexico to Venezuela. It is a subshrub or climbing shrub. It is used as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1600 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Cauca, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Guaviare, La Guajira, Magdalena, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Quindío, San Andrés y Providencia, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
Habit
Subshrub, Liana.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1600 m.; Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Subarbusto, liana
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
A very prickly scrambling or scandent shrub with stems up to 4 m long, more or less stellate-tomentose throughout; spines short, rather thick and recurved, 1–5 mm long, scattered on stems, petioles and midribs of the leaves beneath; leaves lanceolate to ovate, 4–20 cm long, petiolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a contracted cymose raceme usually less than 6 cm long; pedicels 6–12 mm long, elongating in fruit; calyx 1–2 mm long, enlarging in fruit to 3–5 mm; corolla white, with very short tube and narrow strap-like lobes 7–12 mm long, stellate-pubescent on the outside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Berries red or orange, 8–10 mm in diameter.
Distribution
Grand Cayman. Cuba, Hispaniola, Tortola and the Lesser Antilles, appearing to intergrade with a series of other species in Central and S. America, where it is a noxious weed.
Ecology
The Cayman plants were collected in moist swales near George Town.
Note
Other species of Solanum may yet be recorded from the Cayman Islands, including S. erianthum D. Don. In view of their ranges, the apparent absence of these species from Cayman is surprising.
[Cayman]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
arañagato
[UNAL]

Uses

Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0