NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 



SOLANACEAE 



BLACK NIGHTSHADE. COMMON NIGHTSHADE 



Solanum nigrum. L. 



The berries of this plant have been considered poisonous 

 and it is sometimes called the Deadly Nightshade, but a num- 

 ber of years ago the berries of a variety that produces unusu- 

 ally large fruits were sold 

 on the market under the 

 name Wonderberries. Also 

 it is said that the Black 

 Nightshade is frequently 

 confused with Burbank's 

 New Sunberry, and its 

 berries sold under that 

 name for making pie and 

 jam. It is probable, there- 

 fore, that the berries of 

 this Nightshade are not as 

 poisonous as was formerly 

 believed, at least not after 

 cooking. 



The Black Nightshade 

 is a very common annual in 

 waste places and cultivated 

 soil from Nova Scotia to the 

 far northwest and south to 

 Florida, Texas and Mexico. 

 It is also widely distributed 

 as a weed in many other 

 countries and includes nu- 

 merous races or varieties 

 which differ in minor re- 

 spects. The branched stems 

 grow 1-2 feet high. 



White flowers are pro- 

 duced from July until the plant is killed by freezing weather. 

 The calyx is much shorter than the corolla and persists at the 

 base of the fruit. The filaments of the stamens are somewhat 

 hairy and the anthers are obtuse. The ripe berries are black, 

 smooth and nearly spherical, about three-eighths ot an inch 

 in diameter and on nodding peduncles. 



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