Black nightshade
Solanum nigrum
Also known as Apple of sodom, American black nightshade, Black nightshade, Common nightshade
About Black nightshade
Solanum nigrum, the European black nightshade or simply black nightshade or blackberry nightshade, is a species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Eurasia and introduced in the Americas, Australasia, and South Africa. Ripe berries and cooked leaves of edible strains are used as food in some locales, and plant parts are used as a traditional medicine. Some other species may also be referred to as "black nightshade". Solanum nigrum has been recorded from deposits of the Paleolithic and Mesolithic era of ancient Britain and it is suggested by the botanist and ecologist Edward Salisbury that it was part of the native flora there before Neolithic agriculture emerged.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Solanum nigrum
- Genus
- Solanum
- Family
- SOLANACEAE
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Degraded moist deciduous forest and also waste places
- Native to
- Old World tropics
- Distribution
- Cosmopolitan
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- Mokoi मोकोय
- Tamil
- மணதக்காளி Manatakkali
- Telugu
- Kasaka
- Kannada
- ಕಾಕಿ Kaaki, ಕಾಚಿ Kaachi ಗಣಿಕೆ Ganike, ಬೆಲ್ಲಗಣಿಕೆ Bellaganike
- Malayalam
- Mulaku-thakkali
- Marathi
- Laghukavali
Solanaceae
Nightshade/Tomato family
Black nightshade belongs to the Solanaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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