Bittersweet
Scientific name: Solanum dulcamara L.
Diagnostic features
Scrambling (procumbent in var. marinum Bab.) perennial to 3(7)m, woody below, glabrous to pubescent.
Leaves ovate to lanceolate, often simple and entire, ± succulent in var. marinum, at least some with 2 small lobes or leaflets near base.
Flowers usually 10 or more.
Corolla usually purple.
Fruit bright red, ovoid-ellipsoid, 8-12mm.
Chromosome number: 2n=24.
Habitat
Native; walls, hedges, woods, ditches, fens, pondsides, rough ground and shingle beaches.
Distribution
Common throughout lowland British Isles except North Scotland.
This species is keyed out on Page 3463 in the Text Key. |
