17. Solanum villosum Mill. (S-Eur., SW-As., Afr.) – A rare and ephemeral alien. Recorded from several, widely scattered locations in Belgium, the first time apparently in 1857 in Gent. Findings of Solanum villosum are usually associated with grain (formerly also with wool in the Vesdre valley). It is found on waste land, near grain mills, in urban areas or on dumps. Most recently seen on arable land in Buvingen in 2016 and also known since about 2007 as weed in a flower bed in Hoboken.
Two rather distinct subspecies have been recorded. Subsp. villosum (syn.: S. luteum Mill.) has terete stems with many patent, glandular hairs whereas subsp. miniatum (Bernh. ex Willd.) Edmonds (syn.: subsp. paniceum (Kirschl.) Edmonds, subsp. alatum (Moench) Edmonds, S. luteum subsp. alatum (Moench) Dostál, S. alatum Moench) has sparsely pubescent to glabrous stems that are obviously angular with dentate ridges. Both still occur in Belgium but subsp. villosum is by far the least rare. However, most recent records refer to subsp. miniatum.
Modern authors apply a broad species concept and no longer distinguish infraspecific taxa, the indumentum being extremely variable ranging from nearly absent to dense (Särkinen & al. 2018).
Selected literature:
Böhme F., Herz E. & Heino J. (2007) Aktuelle Funde von Solanum-Arten in Sachsen-Anhalt. Mitt. Florist. Kart. Sachsen-Anhalt 12: 53-60.
Edmonds J.M. (1984) Solanum L. section Solanum – a name change in S. villosum Miller. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 89: 165-170.
Grøstad T. & Halvorsen R. (2003) Solanum villosum ssp. villosum Mill. funnet som ny for Norge. Blyttia 61(4): 228-230.
Lambinon J. & Dieu J.-M. (1994) Solanum villosum subsp. miniatum (= S. alatum) adventice jadis et aujourd’hui en Belgique. Nat. Mosana 47(2): 81-85.
Särkinen T., Poczai P., Barboza G.E., van der Weerden G.M., Baden M. & Knapp S. (2018) A revision of the Old World Black Nightshades (Morelloid clade of Solanum L., Solanaceae). PhytoKeys 106: 1–223. [available online at: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.106.21991]
Shaw J.M.H. (2001) Confusion with Solanum villosum hides unrecorded Solanum. BSBI News 87: 59-60.