Carried by 10 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Purple Nightshade (Solanum xanti) is a poisonous shrub with deep blue purple flowers blooming from winter through spring. Purple Nightshade has dark green foliage, and the form is loosely spreading or trailing. To promote a bush form, prune leggy branches in late summer or fall.
This plant likes sun to part shade in coastal gardens and shady spots inland. It is very drought tolerant but will tolerate modest summer watering. Though it prefers rocky soil or loam, it will grow in any relatively well drained soil.
It is noted for being deer resistant and hosts numerous moth and butterfly species.
The green berries, though toxic to animals, attract birds.
Shrub, Perennial herb
2 - 4 ft Tall
2 - 4 ft Wide
Spreading
Summer Semi-deciduous, Evergreen
Blue, Purple
Winter, Spring, Summer
Deer resistant
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Very Low
Max 1x / week once established
Moderate
Tolerates cold to 5° F
Fast, Medium, Slow
Tolerates many soils, sandy, loamy or clay.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
Semi-arid bluffs, foothills, canyons and valleys, among larger shrubs or trees
Chaparral, Foothill Woodland, Lodgepole Forest, Northern Oak Woodland, Red Fir Forest, Southern Oak Woodland, Yellow Pine Forest
Best used in habitat restoration or "wild" gardens with shrubs such as Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp. or Xylococcus spp.), Ceanothus spp., Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis), Scrub Oak (Quercus dumosa or berberidifolia), and other woody plants.
Butterflies and moths supported
2 confirmed and 32 likely
Eggplant Leafroller
Lineodes integra
Rhamphura Altisierrae
Rhamphura altisierrae
Ipsilon Dart
Agrotis ipsilon
Old Man Dart
Agrotis vetusta