Solanum villosum Mill.

5.Solanum villosum(L.) Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: Solanum no. 2 (1768). Fig. 6 ≡ Solanum nigrum var. villosum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 186 (1753). = Solanum luteum Mill., Gard. Dict. ed. 8: Solanum no. 3 (1768). Type. “ Solanum officinarum; acinis luteis. C. B. 166, ” numbered 691 and dated 1735, from the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries (lectotype, designated by Edmonds (1979: 214): BM 000942567). = Solanum alatum Moench, Methodus: 474 (1794), nom. cons. Type. Pakistan. Balochistan, Quetta, 30 km E Gumbaz, 1050 m, 30 ° 02 ' N, 69 ° 00 ' E, 17 May 1965, K. H. Rechinger 29684 (conserved type: W acc. # 1972-0017910). = Solanum humile Bernh. ex Willd., Enum. Pl.: 236 (1809), non Lam. (1794), nom. illeg. Type. Cultivated in Berlin Botanic Garden, from “ Europa australi ” [southern Europe], Anonymous s. n.. (lectotype, designated by Edmonds (2012: 132): B [B-W 04367 sheet 2]; isolectotype: B [B-W 04367 sheet 1]). = Solanum transcaucasicum Pojark., Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 17: 332 (1955). Type. Azerbaijan. “ Talysh bei Tatuni [Tatoni, 38.65 N, 48.4 E] ”, R. F. Hohenacker s. n. (holotype: LE). = Solanum zelenetzkii Pojark., Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 17: 336 (1955). Type. Crimea, Yalta, Oreanda, 21 August 1906, K. Golde s. n. (holotype: LE). = Solanum woronowii Pojark., Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk SSSR 17: 337 (1955). Type. Transcaucasus, Abkhasia, opp. Gagry, in declivibus ad marginem viae, 30 October 1954, A. Pojarkova 6 (holotype: LE). Type. [icon] “ Solanum annuum hirsutus, baccis luteis, ” cultivated in England, at James Sherard’s garden in Eltham (lectotype, designated by Henderson (1974: 56): Dillenius, Hortus Elthamensis 2: 366, tab. 274, fig. 353 (1732)). Description. Upright annuals up to 50 cm tall; trichomes mostly simple, short or long, occasionally glandular; leaves dull green, concoloured, sinuate-dentate or entire, ovate, base attenuate; each cyme of 2–5 (6) flowers; corolla actinomorphic, white or light purple, 10–15 mm in diameter, anthers 1.8–2.2 mm long, equal; calyx not accrescent, small and not enveloping the fruit completely, spreading or reflexed in fruiting; fruit 6–8 mm across, broadly ovoid or roundish, orange or red, dull, sclereidal concretions usually absent. Taxonomic note. In its vegetative characteristics, S. villosum is very similar to S. nigrum, and the color and shape of ripe berries are the main differences between these species. Sometimes these species are mistaken for each other; remarkably, the only record of S. villosum from Leningrad Oblast (Viipuri [Vyborg] town, 1934, V. Erkamo s. n. (H 766135)), which was published by Saarisalo-Taubert (1967), is rejected here because it appears to belong to a more hirsute variety of S. nigrum. Nomenclatural note. Särkinen et al. (2018) cautiously treated S. villosum Mill. and S. nigrum var. villosum L. as heterotypic synonyms because Miller’s protologue included no direct or indirect reference to, or mention of, the Linnaean variety. However, Miller (1768) noted that he adopted the Linnaean nomenclature, and his acceptance of the Linnaean taxon with the same final epithet may be treated as an indication of Miller’s potential intent to publish a new combination rather than a new species name in its own right (Art. 41.4 of the International Code of Nomenclature, ICN: Turland et al. 2025). The lectotype of S. luteum is specimen no. 691, presented to the Royal Society in London by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in 1735 (Rand 1737), collected from a plant cultivated in England at the Chelsea Physic Garden, of American origin (Miller 1768), and identified according to Bauhin (1623: 166). The specimen was originally kept at the Society but transferred to the British Museum in 1781 (Stungo 1993). Distribution. This species is native to the Mediterranean Region, the Caucasus, and the Irano-Turanian Region, whereas it is probably alien in the North Caucasus, Central Asia, Africa, and India. Its alien occurrences are scattered in European Russia but are more common in the North Caucasus. Records of this species in the Russian North Caucasus date back to the early 20 th century, but in Transcaucasia (Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan) it was already noted by Bieberstein (1819, as S. nigrum var. villosum). The first collections available at LE date back to the middle of the 19 th century. Grossheim (1926) supposed that S. villosum (as S. flavum Kit.) is an eastern Mediterranean floristic element. Because of its absence from natural habitats, this species was evaluated as an alien species in Central Asia (Sennikov and Lazkov 2022, 2024) and in Belgium (Verloove 2006). In contrast, Särkinen et al. (2018) outlined the native range of S. villosum across West and Central Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and Hindustan. In European Russia (Fig. 7 A), very scattered records of the species are known from Ivanovo Oblast (Borisova 2004, as S. luteum), Kursk Oblast (Zolotukhin 2013, as S. humile), Moscow Oblast (Mayorov et al. 2012, as S. villosum), Rostov Oblast (Poyarkova 1981, as S. luteum), Tambov Oblast (Sukhorukov 2010, as S. judaicum and S. luteum), Vladimir Oblast (Borisova and Senyushkina 2008, as S. luteum), and Volgograd Oblast (Poyarkova 1981, as S. luteum). Kravchenko (2024) erroneously reported a casual occurrence of S. villosum from Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia. This specimen belongs to S. nitidibaccatum. In Krasnodar Krai, the species is currently common in some areas, e. g., between Anapa town and Dzhubga village (D. Shilnikov, pers. obs.). In European Russia (Fig. 7 A), it is clearly a neophyte, whose active spread started in the late 20 th century. Remarkably, by that time it was not known in the Lower Don area in the southern part of European Russia (Zozulin and Fedyaeva 1985). Ecology. Waste ground, roadsides, kitchen gardens. Residence status. The residence status of S. villosum in the southern parts of European Russia can be defined as that of a naturalized alien. It is clearly a neophyte in European Russia, where it has been found mostly since the early 2000 s. The species is probably an archeophyte in the North Caucasus. Pathways of introduction. Transport – Contaminant: seed contaminant. The species was usually found on waste lands, landfills, and roadsides. This indicates its possible arrival as a seed contaminant, being a garden weed in the southern regions.