Species

Solanum nigrum

Etymology

Solanum: Derivation uncertain - possibly from the Latin word sol, meaning "sun," referring to its status as a plant of the sun. Another possibility is that the root was solare, meaning "to soothe," or solamen, meaning "a comfort," which would refer to the soothing effects of the plant upon ingestion.
nigrum: Latin meaning black

Common Name(s)

black nightshade

Authority

Solanum nigrum L.

Family

Solanaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

SOLNIG

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Flower Colours

White,Yellow

Year Naturalised

1853

Origin

Eurasia

Poisonous plant

Often mistaken for deadly nightshade. Recorded as being moderately toxic if eaten. The black berries are not very toxic.

This page last updated on 31 Jul 2014