About Solanum umbelliferum var. xanti (A.Gray) D.J.Keil
Solanum umbelliferum, commonly called bluewitch nightshade or bluewitch, can be found in chaparral habitat and low-elevation oak woodlands in California, parts of Baja California, and Arizona. It is a small perennial herb or subshrub, with dark gray-green oval leaves growing on hairy green stems that reach a maximum height of one meter. It produces bright purple or blue frilly flowers, with thick yellow anthers at the center. These flowers close into spherical buds overnight. It bears small round green fruits that turn purple when ripe and resemble tiny eggplants. This is a tough shrub that can grow in rocky and clay soils, and it sprouts readily in areas recovering from wildfires or other disturbances. Like most other members of the genus Solanum, S. umbelliferum contains toxic alkaloids.
