Black Nightshade

Facts

Scientific Name:

Solanum nigrum ssp. nigrum

Height:

Up to 60cm

Also Known As:

Garden Nightshade, Petty Morel.

Information

Description:

This annual plant has a hollow green stem that has many branches giving the plant a bush like appearance. The leaves are egg shaped, stalked and dull green with the edges bluntly notched or wavy. The flowers are small and white and arranged in clusters on stalks that emerge from the main stem, between the leaves. Seed dispersal is mainly by birds and mammals, which eat the berries.

Distribution:

Common in the south, less so the further north one travels and is fairly rare in Scotland.

Habitat:

Can be found on waste ground, crop fields and cultivated gardens, where it has acquired the name "Garden Nightshade".

Uses:

Taken internally, the leaves are said to promote perspiration and purging of the bowel while the berries have been used as a tonic and a diuretic.

This plants berries can be toxic if taken in large quantities.

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