Black nightshade (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

Black nightshade

Solanum nigrum

Summary ⁷

Solanum nigrum, also known as European black nightshade or black nightshade, is a non-native herb to the Americas. This plant is native to Eurasia. Leaves and fruit of this plant have long been used as a food and medicinal source throughout history even though toxins dangerous to humans and some livestock are present in the plant in different development stages.

Botanical Information ⁸

Solanum nigrum, commonly known as black nightshade, is an herb that is in the genus Solanum. Some other common names for black nightshade are European nightshade, small-fruited black nightshade, and Poplolo. Black nightshade looks like a bush that rarely grows more than 12 inches but can grow up to 32 inches. The small white flowers grow from July through October in clusters in between leaves at the end of a green stalk. The simple leaves can be lobed or unlobed in an alternating pattern. The stems are green to dark purple in color and are hairy. In the fall the ripe fruit will appear black or dark purple. This herb is often confused with deadly nightshade which is very deadly. Originally, black nightshade was called “petit (small) morel” to help tell the difference from the more poisonous species, deadly nightshade, that is known as “great morel.”

Ecological Information ⁸

Black nightshade can grow and thrive in many different habitats such as gardens, disturbed soils, roadsides, and coastal shorelines. This plant prefers warm soil to grow in full or partial sunlight. In the Northern U.S. it can grow as an annual but in warmer Southern U.S. it can grow as a perennial. Black nightshade in many parts of the U.S. is considered a weed.

Ethnobotanical Information ⁸

Solanum nigrum can be used for many things such as food or medicine. In Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh and Kerala these berries can be used like tomatoes in cooking. In Ayurveda medicinal parts of this plant are used to treat conditions like stomach ulcers, skin conditions, and rat bites. According to The Hindu news source, scientists have found the leaves have a compound that could help treat liver cancer.

References ⁹

Grieve, M. (n.d.). Nightshade, Black. A Modern Herbal. Retrieved September 27, 2010, from https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/n/nighbl04.html

Lehmuskallio, J. (2006). Black Nightshade, Solanum nigrum. NatureGate. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://luontoportti.com/en/t/1764/black-nightshade

Muringatheri, M. (2021, August 31). Manathakkali Holds Hope for Liver Cancer Patients. The Hindu. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/manathakkali-holds-hope-for-liver-cancer-patients/article36205405.ece

Native Plant Trust. (n.d.). Solanum nigrum (European black nightshade). Go Botany: Native Plant Trust. Retrieved 2011, from https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/solanum/nigrum/

Rajput, P. (2021, March 30). Solanum nigrum: All that You Need to Know About!. ArenaFlowersIn. Retrieved 2015, from https://www.arenaflowers.co.in/blogs/news/solanum-nigrum-all-that-you-need-to-know-about

United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Solanum nigrum L.. In
PLANTS Database. Retrieved March 29, 2019, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=SONI

About the Author ⁸

Student author*: Carlos (age 16) from The International School, 10th grade

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) --Tico--, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/tico_bassie/2823383938/
(c) David Eickhoff, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/5188555844/
(c) Verdurbano, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/etnojardines/144859237/
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/39479580131/
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/38356778691/
(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/37096296161/
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_nigrum
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

iNat Map

Flower	white
Berry	black
Type	herb
Uses	medicinal
Habitat	Shores, Yards/Distrubed Soils
Life cycle	annual, perennial
Native	no

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