Solanum chenopodoides
3. Solanum chenopodioides Lam. (syn.: S. sublobatum Willd. ex Roem. et Schult., S. gracile Moric. ex Dunal, S. ottonis Hyl.) (S-Am.) – A rare but apparently poorly understood species in Belgium. First recorded as a weed of arable land near Merksem in 1908. From the 1990’s onwards increasingly recorded, nearly always in the vicinity of grain mills in port areas (Antwerpen and Gent). Seen several years by the Albertkanaal near Merksem since 1994 (but gone by now, after infrastructural works) and very persisting or even more or less naturalised and slightly spreading since 1995 on sandy waste land in the surroundings of granaries at the Ghent Grain Terminal in the port of Gent. Recorded in 1995 at a demolished railway yard in Merelbeke (Gent), along with Setaria faberi and others (obviously also as a grain alien) (Verloove & Vandenberghe 1996). A fairly large population was also discovered in the Antwerp port area in 2013 (foot of wall alongside railway track). Possibly overlooked elsewhere.
Solanum chenopodioides is very reminiscent of S. nigrum. However, young parts are densely appressed hairy, inflorescences are umbellate and leaves are almost always entire. Moreover, it is often perennial and becomes woody below at age.
Solanum chenopodioides is increasingly becoming naturalised in southern Europe and will possibly become so in Belgium too (see also Bomble 2008).
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Selected literature:
Banfi E. (1987) Presenza e distribuzione in Italia di Solanum chenopodioides Lam. e suoi rapporti con le altre specie del gruppo di S. nigrum L. Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. Museo Civ. Stor. Nat. Milano 128(3-4): 298-304.
Bomble F.W. (2008) Solanum chenopodioides im Rheinland. Decheniana 161: 19-22.
Edmonds J.M. (1979) Nomenclatural notes on some species of Solanum L. found in Europe. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 78: 213-233.
Halvorsen R., Grøstad T., Thowsen K. & Barrow J. (1998) Tre nye adventivplanter i norsk flora. Blyttia 56: 231-235.
Martin P. & Edmonds J. (1974) Solanum sublobatum. Soc. Ech. Pl. Vasc. Eur. Occ. Bassin Médit., Bull. 15: 53-56.
Palmer J.R. (1990) Solanum chenopodioides Lamarck, established in S.E. London. BSBI News 54: 35-36.
Verloove F. & Vandenberghe C. (1996) Nieuwe en interessante voederadventieven voor de Belgische flora, hoofdzakelijk in 1995. Dumortiera 66: 11-32.