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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Solanaceae (Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers) |
| Origin: Argentina (South America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Purple |
| Bloomtime: Year-round |
| Synonyms: [Solanum rantonnettii cv, Lycianthes rantonnei cv] |
| Height: 6-8 feet |
| Width: 6-8 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Deer Tolerant: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 25-30° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Lycianthes rantonnetii 'Royal Robe' (Purple Solanum) – - A medium to large fast growing upright evergreen shrub that can grow up to 10 to 12 feet tall, but takes well to pruning and can be kept smaller or trained up into a small patio tree. This cultivar has dark green acuminate leaves that are slightly wavy through much of the year in mild climates appear the broad trumpet-shaped dark purple flowers that have yellow centers and when in mass flowering can are faintly, but intoxicatingly, fragrant. Plant in full to part full sun in most any soil with decent drainage and give regular to occasional irrigation and regular fertilizer applications to keep this plant looking its best, but can survive with less water if necessary. It is hardy to 20-25 degrees F and useful in USDA Zones 9 and above. Tip prune or lightly shear often to keep tight and bushy. Resistant to deer browsing. A great looking plant with dark blue-purple flowers that stand out well against the bold white variegated foliage. Lycianthes rantonnetii is native to Bolivia, Northeast Argentina, Southern Brazil and Paraguay. Lycianthes rantonnetii has previously been placed in the genus Solanum, a huge genus that most recently has been in a state of flux for some time. It has been cultivated in the horticultural trades for many years as Solanum rantonnetii and later as Lycianthes rantonnei, as this was the original spelling of the specific epithet when Élie Abel Carrière described the plant as Solanum rantonnei in Revue Horticole in 1859. Most modern nomenclatural databases have corrected this spelling as dictated by Article 60.7 of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, which in Ex. 15 specifically references this correction. The name for the genus comes from the words Greek 'lykion' that was used for a thorny plant found growing in ancient Lycia combined with 'anthos' meaning flower. The specific epithet honors Barthélémy Victor Rantonnet, a 19th-century French horticulturalist. The species was first introduced into California horticulture as Solanum rantonnettii by Dr. Francesco Franceschi (AKA Emanuele Orazio Fenzi) at his Santa Barbara nursery in 1906 and it received the coveted Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 2012. We grew this plant at our nursery from 1981 until 2002.
This information about Lycianthes rantonnetii 'Royal Robe' displayed on this web page is based on research we have conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations we have made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how our crops have performed in containers in the nursery field. Where appropriate, we will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.
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