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The Black Nightshades, Solanum nigrum L. et al.—Poison, Poultice, and Pie1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Michael S. Defelice
Michael S. Defelice*
Affiliation:
ThunderSnow Interactive, 5720 Wentworth Drive, Johnston, IA 50131
*
E-mail: defelicems@thundersnow.com
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Extract

There, fed by Food they love, to rankest size, Around the Dwellings Docks and Wormwood rise;

Here the strong Mallow strikes her slimy Root, Here the dull Nightshade hangs her deadly Fruit;

The Borough, Rev. George Crabbe, 1810.

The black nightshade (Solanum nigrum L.) complex consists of a group of plants in the section Solanum of the genus Solanum. Black nightshade is the type for the genus Solanum and the most well-known as a noxious weed species. Black nightshade also has been used around the world as a pot-herb, and the berries are used to bake pies despite its reputation as a poisonous plant (Edmonds and Chweya 1997; Mabberley 1997). The black nightshades form a complex group of mainly herbaceous or shrubby plants that are still not completely resolved taxonomically. Most weed references to black nightshade predating the 1980s simply refer to S. nigrum L. as the species. However, taxonomists now recognize many weedy species within this complex (D'Arcy 1991; Edmonds 1977; Edmonds and Chweya 1997; Mabberley 1997; Schilling 1981). This article will mainly cover the history of black nightshade as recorded in the literature. Current species names will be clarified or identified within the Solanum section where information is available.

Type
Intriguing World of Weeds
Information
Weed Technology , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , June 2003 , pp. 421 - 427
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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