Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange |
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TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL (1993) |
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Jepson Interchange (more information) |
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
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AND IS MAINTAINED FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY |
Annual to shrub
Leaves generally simple, generally alternate, generally petioled; stipules 0; blade entire to deeply lobed
Inflorescence various
Flower bisexual; calyx lobes generally 5; corolla ± radial, cylindric to rotate, lobes generally 5; stamens 5, alternate corolla lobes; ovary superior, generally 2-chambered, style 1
Fruit: berry or capsule, 25-chambered
Genera in family: 75 genera, 3000 species: worldwide, especially ± tropical; many alien weeds in CA; many cultivated for food, drugs, or ornamental (potato, tomato, peppers, tobacco, petunia);many TOXIC .
Shrub; hairs simple or branched
Leaf entire, glabrous to hairy
Inflorescence: panicle
Flower: corolla ± salverform; stamens included, filaments sometimes unequal
Fruit: berry, sometimes ± dry
Species in genus: 250 species: tropical Am
Etymology: (Greek: derivation unknown)
Introduced |
Shrub < 3 m; hairs soft, ± dense, especially on axes
Stem often purple
Leaf 413 cm, ± ovate, acuminate
Inflorescence < 10 cm, ± head-like, ± dense, 510-flowered
Flower: calyx 89 mm; corolla 1525 mm, purplish red, lobes 22.5 mm
Fruit 15 mm, red, white-spongy inside
Seeds ± 10, 2.54 mm, dark brown
Ecology: Disturbed areas
Elevation: < 1000 m.
Bioregional distribution: n North Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, expected elsewhere
Distribution outside California: native to Mexico
Other species (especially C. aurantiacum Lindl. with yellow-orange flowers) widely cultivated, may become naturalized.