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Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Nightshades - Eastern Black or Hairy

The most common species of annual nightshade in Ontario is eastern black nightshade, although hairy nightshade also occurs.

Scientific Names: Eastern black nightshade, Solanum ptycanthum Dun., Hairy nightshade, Solanum sarachoides Sendt.

Other Names: Eastern black nightshade is also called SOLPT, morelle noire de l’est, Black nightshade, Deadly nightshade; Hairy nightshade is also called morelle poilue, morelle sarachoide, Cupped nightshade, Potatoweed

Family: Nightshade or Potato Family (Solanaceae)

General Description: Annual, reproducing only by seed.

Habitat: Annual nightshades are commonly found in cultivated fields, gardens, waste places, fencerows, edges of pastures and open dry woods.

Seedlings

Eastern black nightshade Hairy nightshade
  • Seedling with stem
  • Leaves alternate
  • Cotyledons oblong to elongated, 10- 15 mm (2/5- 3/5 in.) long
  • Underside often purplish
  • Seedling with stem
  • Leaves alternate
  • Cotyledons oblong to elongated, finishing in a point, 10- 15 mm (2/5- 3/5 in.) long
  • Presence of hairs

Stems

Eastern black nightshade Hairy nightshade
  • Erect
  • 5- 100 cm (2- 40 in.) high
  • Much-branched in the upper part
  • Mostly hairless
  • Spreading or erect
  • Up to 1 m (40 in.) long
  • Stem branching
  • Softly hairy

Leaves

Eastern black nightshade Hairy nightshade
  • Alternate (1 per node)
  • Ovate or diamond-shaped
  • Pale green
  • Soft, thin, and nearly translucent
  • Alternate (1 per node)
  • Ovate to nearly triangular
  • Dull green to grey-green
  • Thick and opaque

Flowers

Eastern black nightshade Hairy nightshade
  • 2- 5 grouped together in a small umbel on a short stalk sticking out from the side of the stem
  • Calyx of 5 united sepals with 5 pointed lobes, small and not enlarging with the fruit
  • Petals white or white tinged with purple, united in a star-shaped corolla with 5 sharp lobes
  • Short anthers united and forming a yellow column in the centre
  • Flowers from June until late autumn
  • Inflorescence of 3- 9 flowers in a short raceme sticking out from the side of the stem
  • Calyx at first small but enlarging with age and acting as a cup around the lower half of the fruit
  • Corolla white or tinged with bluish-purple
  • Flowers from July to October

Fruit

Eastern black nightshade Hairy nightshade
  • Berries are green at first, turning black and juicy when mature
  • Berries are greenish turning yellowish-brown to brown at maturity

Often Confused With
Pigweed Seedlings (The leaves of nightshades are dark green with a purplish lower surface and toothed margins)

Nightshade seedling Diagram of Eastern black nightshade Hairy nightshade  Hairy nightshade. A. Plant Hairy nightshade. B. Cluster of flowers Eastern black nightshade Eastern black nightshade in flower  Eastern black nightshade berries Hairy nightshade
Click to enlarge.