"Solanum aviculare" is similar to "Solanum laciniatum", with which it has been confused. Compared to "S. laciniatum", "S. aviculare" has smaller flowers (usually pale blue, sometimes dark purple, white or striped blue / white) with acute corolla lobes, it has smaller seeds, up to long, and a different chromosome number (2n = 46) and is found on the Kermadec Islands, North Island, northern South Island and Chatham Islands of New Zealand, while "S. laciniatum" has much larger, rotate, darker purple flowers with broad, flared (ruffled) corolla lobes with rounded apices, larger seeds that are long, and a different chromosome number (2n = 92). It is mostly found south of Auckland and is very common in the southern North Island, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. "Solanum laciniatum" is the most commonly found species overseas where it is often incorrectly called "S. aviculare".