Nightshade

American Black Nightshade (Solanum americanum) is a common native Florida garden weed that can grow into a sizeable shrub. Black nightshade flowers with small white blooms in the Spring which give way to green berries that ripen to black.

All parts of the American Black Nightshade plant contain the toxic glycoalkaloids solanine and solamargine and should be considered poisonous. Glycoalkaloid poisons are bitter tasting when ingested and create a strong burning sensation on the sides of the tongue and in the back of the throat. Additionally, other poisonous compounds such as scopolamine (found in henbane, jimson weed and angel’s trumpet) and hyoscyamine (found also in mandrake) are present in this plant. Care should be taken to keep this plant away from small children and pets prone to eating plants.

Also found in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family are:

• tomato (S. lycopersicum)
• eggplant (S. melongena)
• potato (S. tuberosum)
• bell pepper (Capsicum annuum)
• tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

Because of their relation to the nightshade family, some people have reactions to eating these vegetables, especially when the fruit or vegetable is not entirely ripe.

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The nicotine in tobacco is an alkaloid stimulant in small doses but can become lethal in larger amounts. Nicotine was used in the past as a common pesticide agent.

A number of lepidoptera species use plants in the nightshade (Solanaceae) family as host plants including the tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) and tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta).