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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Solanum elaeagnifolium (Silver-leaf Nightshade) |
Solanum elaeagnifolium (SOLANACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Solanum elaeagnifoliumCav.
Published in Icon. Descr. 3: 22 (1795) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Solanaceae Juss. (The Potato Family)
17 species from the Solanaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Silver-leaf Nightshade |
Maltese name(s) : |
Maltese name not known |
Status for Malta : |
Naturalised Alien. Species that was introduced in Malta after year 1492 (Columbus' discovery of the New World)
and spreads and integrates to form established, non-invasive populations.
Species may become become invasive if it widespreads rapidly. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Nano-Phanerophyte ( small trees to large shrubs, usually shorter than 5 m ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
April – September |
Colour of Flowers: |
Violet or Blue |
Toxicity: |
Mildy toxic, can cause adverse conditions if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Solanum: ()
elaeagnifolium: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Perennial herb or dwarf shrub with dense, whitish, stellate tomentum, usually with scattered, inconspicuous, usually reddish prickles on stem, mature leaves and calyx; stem 30-50 cm or more, erect, sparingly branched. Leaves 4-10(-16) x 1-2.5(-4) cm, linear- to oblong-lanceolate, obtuse to acute, rounded or truncate at base, entire to shallowly sinuate; petiole 5-20 mm. Cyme 1- to 5-flowered, solitary, extra-axillary; peduncle 5-20 mm. Calyx 5-7 mm, slightly accrescent, patent in fruit; lobes 2-4 mm, linear. Corolla 25-35(-40) mm in diameter, orbicular, purplish. Anthers 7-9 mm, yellow. Berry 10-13 mm in diameter, globose, dry, yellow. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Data will be available in the next update of this website.
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Distributional range |
Locally naturalized in Greece.
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Native region outside Europe |
(Temperate South America.)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Introduced in Greece
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[AE(G) aBe Ct Cy Eg nGa Gr nHs(S) Ir It Jo nMa Sa Si(S) Sn Sr Tn]
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| Links & Further literature
(1 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
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A Contribution to the Knowledge of Alien Flora in the Maltese Islands |
Jeffrey Sciberras & Arnold Sciberras (2010) |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
