Table of distintive characters of some Solanum species
| Species | Biology |
Growth form | Spines | Hairyness | Leaf (shape) |
Leaf (margin) | Leaf size | Flower size |
Fruit | Fruit size |
| S. americanum | annual | herbaceous | no | glabrous (weakly pubescent) |
oval | dentate | 6 cm | white, 6-10 mm | shiny black | < 8 mm |
| S. nigrum |
annual | herbaceous | no | pubescent | oval | dentate | 6 cm | white 10-14 mm | dull black | > 8 mm |
| S. villosum |
annual | herbaceous | no | weakly to strongly pubescent | elliptical oval | sinuose, dentate to weakly lobed | 2-5 cm | white 5-12 mm | yellow orange | 5-10 mm |
| S. seaforthianum | perennial | liana | no | glabrous | compound like | deeply lobed | 7 cm | blue-purple 10-15 mm | red | 6-13 mm |
| S. elaeagnifolium |
vivacious | herbaceous | no | pubescent | narrowly elliptical | entire | 2,5-10 cm | blue-purple 25-50 mm | yellow orange | 10-15 mm |
| S. rugosum | perennial | tall shrub | no | brown yellowish felting | narrowly elliptical | entire | 20 cm | dirty white 14-16 mm | light brown | 8-13 mm |
| S. mauritianum | perennial | tall shrub | no | tomentose withish pubescence | wide elliptical | entire | 10-30 cm | purple, 15 mm | yellow | 10-15 mm |
| S. torvum | perennial | shrub | yes | greyish tomentum | elliptical oval | more or less lobed, spines on leaf | 7-25cm | white, 15 mm | yellow orange | 8-12 mm |
| S. violaceum | perennial | shrub | yes | greyish tomentum | elliptical oval | sinuate more or less lobed, spines on leaf | 4-13 cm | purple, 20 mm | orange | 10 mm |
| S. stramoniifolium | perennial | shrub | yes large | subglabrous | oval | lobed with strait spines | 25 cm | white 15-25 mm | yellow | 20 mm |
| S. subinerme | perennial | shrub | yes | stellate hairs | elliptical oval | ondulate, withour or with spines | 15 cm | purple 25-40 mm | red orange | 6-9 mm |
