Lycianthes rantonnetii (Carrière) Bitter

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Photo: Mark Hyde
Bushbaby Lodge, Cromlet Road, Arcturus

Synonyms:	Solanum rantonnetii Carrière
Common names:	Blue potato bush (English) Blue solanum shrub (English) Paraguay nightshade (English)
Description:	Shrub to 3 m tall and up to 2 m across. Stems prominently angled. Leaves entire or slightly sinuate, acuminate. Flowers in axillary or terminal few-flowered fascicles. Pedicels articulated near the base. Calyx truncate with 1-5 small apical teeth. Corolla deep violet-blue or purple-blue or pink, with a yellow throat. Berry red, 2-3.5 cm across, heart-shaped.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	rantonnetii: after Barthélémy Victor Rantonnet, 1797-1871, French botanist and horticulturalist, a pioneer in the establishment of exotic plants on the Côte d'Azur.
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	c. 200 species, in moist tropical regions, mainly in America but also in Asia and Australia.
Growth form(s):
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Image last updated:	Sunday 15 January 2017
Literature:

Flora of Malawi: cultivated Lycianthes rantonnetii
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Lycianthes rantonnetii
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Lycianthes rantonnetii

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Lycianthes rantonnetii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Lycianthes rantonnetii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Lycianthes rantonnetii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Lycianthes rantonnetii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Lycianthes rantonnetii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Lycianthes rantonnetii
JSTOR Plant Science: Lycianthes rantonnetii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Lycianthes rantonnetii
Plants of the World Online: Lycianthes rantonnetii
Tropicos: Lycianthes rantonnetii
Wikipedia: Lycianthes rantonnetii