A N F Keys
1 Shrubs having long shoot-short shoot organization with sharp-tipped branchlets and tufted, fleshy leaves to 6 mm long; stamens mostly 4; berries red-orange, 2-seeded .. Lycium californicum [pics]
1' Herbs, subshrubs, or shrubs lacking long shoot-short shoot organization, with nonfleshy, planar leaves, if spiny forming only prickles; stamens generally 5−6; fruits many-seeded
2 Corolla cymbal-shaped (rotate) to somewhat bell-shaped; stamens exposed; fruit a berry
3 Anthers dehiscent by 2 pores or short slits at tips; corolla purple, white to purplish, violet to blue, or yellow .. Solanum
3' Anthers dehiscent lengthwise base to tip; corolla yellow
4 Leaves pinnately compound and conspicuously glandular-hairy; flowers in small axillary cymes; corolla yellow; anthers yellow and fused around style .. Lycopersicon esculentum [pics]
4' Leaves simple and essentially glabrous; flowers solitary at each fork; corolla yellow with set of dark spots; anthers violet and not fused around style .. Physalis philadelphica [pics]
2' Corolla with well-defined tube; stamens included; fruit a capsule
5 Corolla tube-throat ca. 5 mm long; capsules 2−3 mm long .. Petunia parviflora [pics]
5' Corolla tube-throat > 12 mm long; capsules > 4 mm long
6 Flowers in racemes or panicles; corolla to 40 mm across; capsules smooth .. Nicotiana
6' Flowers solitary and axillary; corolla > 80 mm across; capsules spinescent .. Datura
1 Annuals, 1-stemmed at base; shoots puberulent; calyx 35−45 mm long; corolla 60−80 mm long and ca. 40 mm across; capsule erect and dehiscent by 4 valves; seeds 2.7−3.3 mm long .. Datura stramonium [pics]
1' Perennial herbs, many-stemmed at base; shoots downy to velveteen; calyx 80−120 mm long; corolla 150−200 mm long and 120−150 mm across; capsule nodding and dehiscent by irregular valves; seeds 5−5.5 mm long .. Datura wrightii [pics]
1 Treelike shrubs; shoots sparsely hairy to glabrous and conspicuously glaucous; flowers open day and night, lacking fragrance; corolla lemon yellow to greenish yellow, tubular with short teeth .. Nicotiana glauca [pics]
1' Annuals; densely glandular-hairy on all green surfaces, not glaucous; flowers open mostly during nighttime, sweetly fragrant; corolla white or sometimes with purple tinge, with well-developed limb
2 Flowering individuals mostly < 50 cm tall; corolla 13−20 mm long, spreading limb 8−10 mm across .. Nicotiana clevelandii [pics]
2' Flowering individuals 50−150 cm tall; corolla 25−50 mm long, spreading limb 13−40 mm across
3 Leaves sessile, not viscid, some with earlike lobes at base; calyx tube 7.5−9 mm long; stamens fused unequally to corolla tube within 10 mm of orifice .. Nicotiana quadrivalvis [pics]
3' Leaves petiolate, conspicuously viscid, lacking lobes at base; calyx tube 5−7 mm long; stamens fused ± equally to corolla tube > 20 mm from orifice .. Nicotiana acuminata var. multiflora [pics]
1 Plants with prickles; leaves with stellate hairs
2 Annuals, densely sharp-prickly; leaves 1−2-pinnately lobed; flowers yellow; berries covered by prickles .. Solanum rostratum
2' Perennials, having prickles on at least some shoots; leaves unlobed; flowers purple, violet, or blue; berries not covered by prickles, yellow, yellow-orange, or yellow-brown
3 Shrubs; leaves mostly > 100 mm long (50−250 mm); cymes many-flowered .. Solanum lanceolatum [pics]
3' Perennial herbs; leaves 35−95 mm long; cymes 3−8-flowered .. Solanum elaeagnifolium [pics]
1' Plants without prickles
4 Shrubs or subshrubs; shoots densely covered with glandular hairs; corolla shallowly lobed, mostly 20−30 mm across, lavender to violet typically with a ring of green spots near the base .. Solanum xanti [pics]
4' Herbs or weakly woody perennials; shoots not densely covered with glandular hairs; corolla deeply lobed, to 20 mm across, white to pale or light purple
5 Foliage glandular-pilose; berries yellowish .. Solanum physalifolium var. nitidibaccatum
5' Foliage with nonglandular hairs and inconspicuous glandular hairs; berries blackish purple, deep purple, or black
6 Blades villous-strigose; corolla 15−20 mm across with lobes 6.5−9 mm long; berries dull .. Solanum douglasii [pics]
6' Blades arching short-strigose; corolla 6−8 mm across with lobes 2−3 mm long; berries glossy .. Solanum americanum [pics]
The text of the above keys used with permission from
A Naturalist's Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills, California
© Copyright
Barry A. Prigge and Arthur C. Gibson
2013