BITTERSWEET NIGHTSHADE (Solanum dulcamara)

How to Identify Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara)
This is bittersweet nightshade, a member of the nightshade family that was originally native to Eurasia and Africa, and has become common throughout much of the world. It is a perennial that flowers indeterminately from early to late summer.

The plant has multiple climbing, branching stems that can reach up to ten feet in length. The younger portions of the stems are light green, while the older portions are purple or brown and semi-woody. The stems are smooth or sparsely hairy.

The leaves are heart-shaped, and often have deep lobes at their bases. They are dark green in color, and may develop a purplish hue. They are usually smooth or very sparsely hairy.

The flowers are very distinct, with purple petals and bright yellow anthers arranged in a unique, star-like shape. They form on open clusters that appear at the end of each branch and occasionally from the leaf axils. The fruits are light green, and will mature through yellow to a bright, vibrant red.

The plant grows off an extensive woody root system that produces thick rhizomes. The prostrate stems will also produce roots at their nodes, and the root systems will continually produce suckers at the base of larger plants.

Bittersweet nightshade likes nitrogen-rich, moist soils that are shaded from the midday sun. They are found in a range of different habitats, and are common along waterways, in orchards and vineyards, gardens, and residential landscapes.

The entire plant is toxic, and consuming even a small amount of any portion will cause intense nausea and vomiting. The ripe berries are actually less toxic than the unripe berries and other parts of the plant, but can still be dangerous. However, while painful, bittersweet nightshade is not as deadly as its other nightshade relatives, and a large portion of the plant would need to be consumed in order to kill an adult human.

Sources:

Weeds of the West, 5th Edition (1991) by Tom D. Whitson, published by the Western Society of Weed Science

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources IPM – Weed Gallery

United States Department of Agriculture – Plant Database

[melindahendricks]

Pennsylvania native here, my daughter found one in our backyard and thought they were a weird looking tomato plant. Thank God she didn't eat any of the berries!