Wildflower for ID

[Africa]

Some neighbours in my street covered their front garden with sand. It has been quite bare until this spring. This plant is growing quite vigorously and now flowering, but I cannot identify it. Any help would be welcome.

[John_M]

I'm no expert, but that looks like Deadly Nightshade - Atropa belladonna.

[Africa]

Thank you John!

[Jim Ford]

Deadly Nightshade for me as well.

I've taken plants with berries into the secondary school where I used to work, and showed them to biology classes. None of the students were ever able to identify it. - they always think that Woody Nightshade is Deadly Nightshade.

I've actually tried the berries - chewing them and rolling them around to see what they taste like, before thoroughly spitting them out. They just have a slightly sweet, but insipid taste.

Jim

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by John_M

I'm no expert, but that looks like Deadly Nightshade - Atropa belladonna.

John, You've got it spot on. Deadly Nightshade it is.
I used to grow it in my garden in Hampshire some years ago and one day a visiting South African Doctor asked what it was. I said Deadly Nightshade and he picked a couple of the ripe berries and ate them!
He said they were sweet to the taste, and later told me that to kill yourself you would probably have to eat a couple of dozen, but to a child they are extremely poisonous.
I would'nt recommend them.
Dorts.

[Africa]

Well then, it's good to know it. I don't remember having seen this plant before, and the colour of the flowers called my attention.