Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Scrambling Nightshade (Solanum tampicense) - Uncertain Risk

Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.

Solanum tampicense, Scrambling Nightshade, is a plant that is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. This species grows in wetlands, riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian areas, and wet forested areas, and forms dense thickets of sprawling, prickly shrubs. It can reproduce by fragmentation as well as seed. Its means of introduction outside of its native range is not known. It is established in several drainages in Florida, where there is concern it may outcompete native plant species. However, the History of Invasiveness for Solanum tampicense is classified as Data Deficient due
to a lack of information documenting observed impacts or lack of impacts from the established nonnative populations. The climate matching analysis for the contiguous United States indicates establishment concern for this species. The climate match was highest for Florida, where it is already established. Other areas of high climate match included the Southwest, southern and central California, and the coastal Southeast. The Certainty of Assessment is classified as Low due to limited information about the impacts of S. tampicense. The Overall Risk Assessment Category for Solanum tampicense is Uncertain.