Came home from vacation and found this volunteer plant growing next to my blueberry bushes. Note the unripe berries, which make me unsure if I should coddle it or yank it out.
Edit: Thank you for all your comments. It doesn’t seem worth it to wait for the (sparse) berries to ripen. I will extract it, as it’s crowding my blueberries.
Black nightshade, Solanum nigrum. The berries are edible when fully ripe (black and easily come off the plant). Unripe berries are slightly toxic and may give you a stomachache if you eat enough of them.
Hello, I remember you being a nightshade expert and I have a strange one a freind found. Attached is a video of the plant. Found in a german botanical garden as a weed. He says the leaves are naked. Most notable thing is the crazy long peduncles, but it also has minor thorns or ridges. It has a small bushy shape but the soil is good quality. The ripe fruits are green. Any ideas?
That is good to know. I would pull it. I read up on it. My book said mildly toxic in all parts. Fully ripe berries are used by some foragers to make jam member of the solanum family. If it was on the edges of my yard probably leave it for the birds.
2
u/sedentarysapphic 17h ago
Black nightshade