Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Chaparral shrubland

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

A native California shrub that blooms with vivid violet star-shaped flowers — each petal curled back to reveal a bright yellow anther cone — from late winter through summer. Like other nightshades, its berries are toxic despite the plant's wild beauty.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Solanales

Family

Solanaceae

Genus

Solanum

Species

Solanum xanti