''Solanum wallacei'', also known as Catalina nightshade, 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
poison
Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...
ous.
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.
California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
/ref> It blooms in April and May.
Wallace's nightshade is named for William Allen Wallace
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...
(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
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment
Catalina Island Conservancy
wallacei
Flora of California
Flora of Baja California
Flora of Mexican Pacific Islands
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