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Solanum nigrum
 
 
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Solanum nigrum (European Black Nightshade or locally just "black nightshade
Black nightshade

Black nightshade may refer to:* Solanum americanum of much of North America* Solanum nigrum of Europe* Solanum ptychanthum of the Caribbean region...
", Duscle, Garden Nightshade, Hound's Berry, Petty Morel, Small-fruited black nightshade or popolo) is a species in the Solanum
Solanum

Solanum, the nightshades, horsenettles and relatives, is a large and diverse genus of annual plant and perennial plants. They grow as forbs, vines, sub-shrubs, shrubs, and small trees, and often have attractive fruit and flowers....
 genus, native to Eurasia
Eurasia

Eurasia is a large landmass covering about 53,990,000 km? or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface . Often considered a single continent, Eurasia comprises the traditional continents of Europe and Asia, concepts which date back to classical antiquity and the borders for which are somewhat arbitrary....
 and introduced in the Americas
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
 and Australasia
Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
.

k nightshade is a fairly common plant, found in many wooded areas, as well as disturbed habitats.






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Solanum Nigrum Fruit Black
Solanum nigrum (European Black Nightshade or locally just "black nightshade
Black nightshade

Black nightshade may refer to:* Solanum americanum of much of North America* Solanum nigrum of Europe* Solanum ptychanthum of the Caribbean region...
", Duscle, Garden Nightshade, Hound's Berry, Petty Morel, Small-fruited black nightshade or popolo) is a species in the Solanum
Solanum

Solanum, the nightshades, horsenettles and relatives, is a large and diverse genus of annual plant and perennial plants. They grow as forbs, vines, sub-shrubs, shrubs, and small trees, and often have attractive fruit and flowers....
 genus, native to Eurasia
Eurasia

Eurasia is a large landmass covering about 53,990,000 km? or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface . Often considered a single continent, Eurasia comprises the traditional continents of Europe and Asia, concepts which date back to classical antiquity and the borders for which are somewhat arbitrary....
 and introduced in the Americas
Americas

The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
 and Australasia
Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
.

Description

Black nightshade is a fairly common plant, found in many wooded areas, as well as disturbed habitats. It has a height of 30-120 cm (12-48"), leaves 4-7.5 cm (1 1/2-3") long; ovate to heart-shaped, with wavy or large-toothed edges.

The flowers have petals greenish to whitish, recurved when aged and surround prominent bright yellow anthers.

The fruit
Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
s are oval black berries in small hanging clusters. The ripe black small fruit are directly consumable and the leaves are cooked and consumed.

In India, another strain is found with berries that turn red when ripe.

Toxicity

The green berries and mature leaves contain glycoalkaloid
Glycoalkaloid

Glycoalkaloids are a family of poisons commonly found in the plant species Solanum dulcamara . There are several glycoalkaloids that are potentially toxic....
s and are poisonous to eat raw. Their toxicity varies and there are some strains which have edible berries when fully ripe.

Although fatal human poisonings are rare, at least one case has been documented. The poison is believed to be solanine
Solanine

Solanine is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family, such as potatoes. It can occur naturally in any part of the plant, including the leaves, fruit, and tubers....
.

Culinary usage

In India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, the berries are casually grown and eaten; but not cultivated for commercial use. The berries are referred to as "fragrant tomato," or ??????????? - manathakkaali in Tamil
Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has Official language in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore....
, and makoi in Hindi. Although not very popular across much of its growing region, the fruit and dish are common in Northern Tamil Nadu, Southern Andhra & Southern Karnataka. In North India, the boiled extracts of leaves and berries are also used to alleviate the patient's discomfort in liver-related ailments, including jaundice..

In Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast....
, the ripe berries are picked and eaten by children in normal times, while during famines all affected people would eat berries. In addition the leaves are collected by women and children, who cook the leaves in salty water and consumed like any other vegetable. Farmers in the Konso Special Woreda
Konso special woreda

Konso is one of the 77 woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. Because Konso is not part of any Zone in the SNNPR, it is considered a Special woreda, an administrative subdivision which is similar to an autonomous area....
 report that because Solanum nigrum matures before the maize is ready for harvesting, it is used as a food source until their crops are ready.

Medicinal usage

The plant has a long history of medicinal usage, dating back to ancient Greece
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
. This plant is also known as Peddakasha pandla koora in Telangana region.

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