What’s in a name? A lot, as it turns out, especially in the case of the edible black nightshade, whose small, dark fruit ripens in the early autumn. Nine out of ten times, when an American hears the name of the plant, they recoil in fascinated horror, especially if the plant is growing right under their feet. They might even take a swift backward step in an attempt to shield their toes from its tiny, poisonous teeth. This lovely, practical, and weedy plant is frequently confused with its evil twin, deadly nightshade. The onlooker, enthralled and assuming confirmation, asks, “It’s poisonous, isn’t it?” Well, deadly nightshade is poisonous. Black nightshade, however, has ripe fruit that is just as poisonous as tomatoes.
In areas where people are unfamiliar with plants in general or with how they are categorized and named, there is still a persistent fear of eating black nightshade. Most urban dwellers suffer from plant blindness. And that’s to be expected. Fortunately, it’s curable. Black nightshade is ripening right now in the Northern Hemisphere. Consider this our September PSA.
I grew up in South Africa eating the ripe black nightshade fruit as a snack, which has a tomato-like flavor with a hint of anise. I was aware that the green fruit is poisonous, so I avoided it.
The catch-all terms morogo (Xhosa) and imifino (Zulu), which refer to any edible wild greens like amaranth, lamb’s quarters, nettles, and thistles (like the quelites of Mexican Spanish), include the tender leaves of umsobo, the Zulu and Xhosa word for black nightshade. Black nightshade is used as food and medicine, according to Margaret Roberts’ book Indigenous Healing Plants from South Africa. Solanum nigrum is mentioned by Ben-Erik van Wyk in his lengthy book Food Plants of the World. In addition to Asia and other parts of Africa, black nightshade greens are consumed there. That’s a lot of food history.
People panic when they hear the word “nightshade” because they immediately associate it with something deadly. The same individuals, however, happily devoured potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, and golden berries (Cape gooseberries), and fed them to their young children. All of these plants are nightshades and are members of the complex Solanaceae family. When they first encountered them, Europeans were afraid of tomatoes. And green potatoes are deadly. But we don’t tremble when we prowl the produce aisle. Death and deliciousness are in the details.
The Solanum nigrum genus contains a variety of distinct but aesthetically similar species, and they frequently hybridize. I grew up with S. retroflexum, in all likelihood. In the Northeast we see eastern black nightshade (S. emulans), and there is S. americanum; and there are subspecies. All are edible.
The common names of plants can be vexing. They are vague, numerous, and occasionally shared by very different plants with very different properties, in contrast to their singular, scientific name. Black nightshade and deadly nightshade are two examples of situations where confusion can result in reactive prejudice and even online fights (bet you didn’t see that one coming!). Think about the recent incident at Brooklyn Grange, an urban farm in Brooklyn, New York, where tomatillos were mistakenly sold as black nightshade seedlings. The wrath of Brooklyn broke loose on social media. Anastasia Plakias, co-founder and chief impact officer of The Grange, wrote a piece for Medium about something she called tomatillogate.
The confusion between deadly and delicious, in my opinion, has little to do with racism, as the Medium essay suggests; black nightshade as a fruit is enjoyed in Europe. So how did black nightshade get left out of the familiar, edible flock, in terms of appreciation, in the US? Instead, the reason is blander, and blinder. It has everything to do with botanical myopia and how far away from the source of their food—plants—the majority of eaters are. There is a significant disconnect between people and plants, including how our food is grown and why we should devote more time to caring for them.
In the US, black nightshade seeds are actually offered as a garden crop, but they are referred to by less ominous names. Sparkleberry, wonderberry, and garden huckleberry (?) are all varieties of black nightshade that have very large berries and may be native to Central Africa. (This particular fruit’s scientific classification keeps shifting. Currently known as Solanum scabrum, it was once thought to be a subspecies of S. nigrum. ).
Edible black nightshade fruits occur in clusters. Additionally, the plant almost always has clusters of both ripe and green fruit at the same time. The fruit skins have a matte appearance—no shine. The calyces (the green parts that resemble lapels or a collar between the stem and fruit) on black nightshade are smaller than the fruit.
Black nightshade has tiny white flowers that resemble stars and standout yellow anthers. They resemble the flowers of the nightshades we commonly eat, such as tomatoes, peppers, and others.
Avoid eating black nightshade fruit that is still green and unripe, just as you wouldn’t eat a toxic green potato.
Deadly nightshade fruit is glossy. (Insert head-exploding emoji here, despite the fact that an otherwise reliable source like Illinois Wildflowers incorrectly states the opposite of this distinction.) ).
Deadly nightshade has very noticeable green calyces that resemble more of a wild Elizabethan ruffle than a tight Edwardian collar. These calyces extend way beyond the fruit.
The flowers of deadly nightshade are very decorative. They are bell-shaped and tubular, and they come in a variety of colors, including dusky pink and lilac. (They dwarf the black nightshade’s difficult-to-see tiny white flowers. ).
In the United States, deadly nightshade is primarily found on the West Coast and is not very common. However, this will inevitably change. Although I personally have never witnessed it, it happens in the East.
As long as the fruit is ripe and black, eating black nightshade raw is preferable.
They are a beautiful treat and garnish for seasonal tartlets. Fermented black nightshade ketchup and hot sauce are wonderful. And, of course, there is jam.
Conclusion: Black nightshade is a useful, tasty, and adaptable plant. Its fruit are mildly sweet and strongly tomato-flavored, and its cooked leaves are a good summer spinach.
In Solanum nigrum*, the calyx does not reflex fully or at all during fruiting. * Certain flowers or fruits in a group clearly branch below the others. * stone cells are usually absent in the fruit.
Black nightshade belongs to the genus Solanum, which also includes tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)!
The calyx of Solanum nodiflorum, formerly known as Solanum americanum in New Zealand, is strongly reflexed at fruiting. * Each of a group’s flowers or fruits branches out from roughly the same point. * stone cells are evident in the fruit.
Te Papa has a specimen collected during Captain Cook’s first expedition that has been labelled as Solanum nigrum; however, this would seem to be a mis-identification.
Black nightshade is regularly confused with deadly nightshade. Indeed, the picture in the above news story appears to be of deadly nightshade, although it is labelled black nightshade. Fortunately, deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) is quite rare in New Zealand, only occurring in the wild in Canterbury. Black nightshade is thought to be no where near as toxic as deadly nightshade. Nevertheless, I suspect no-one would recommend it for human consumption.
To add to the confusion, Solanum nigrum is eaten and used as animal fodder all over the world, though many sources continue to describe it as toxic. As with all members of the Solanum family there’s still a great deal of superstition when it comes to toxicity. Remember that many Europeans considered tomatoes to be poisonous well into the 18th century. Even today tomato leaves, used by my Filipino neighbors as a seasoning, are still labeled by many as poisonous. An interesting article in the New York Times “Accused, Yes, but Probably Not a Killer” busts the tomato leaf toxicity myth.
The confusion over the case of the alleged toxicity of Solanum nigrum may stem from our lack of intimacy with plants in the West. The use of Solanum nigrum by indigenous peoples is actually a bit complicated. Different soil conditions can, it turns out, produce some toxic alkaloids in Solanum nigrum. Cooking eliminates the alkaloids. Jennifer M. Edmonds and James A. Chweya, writing for the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, describe the uses of Solanum nigrum and end up advocating for its widespread use as a cultivated food source. Here’s what they say about it’s toxicity in their book, Black nightshades, Solanum nigrum L. and related species, which you can read in Google Books,
I spotted the sign above at the Heirloom Festival in Sonoma. The sign made the claim that “deadly nightshade” is actually a choice edible. Unfortunately, there’s considerable confusion over the popular name “deadly nightshade.” The plant most commonly referred to as “deadly nightshade,” is Atropa belladonna, which is a highly unpleasant and toxic hallucinogen. “Black nightshade,” Solanum nigrum, on the other hand, is edible. The potted plant below the sign was Solanum nigrum notAtropa belladonna. One must be careful when using the popular names for plants!
Last month, a few Solanum nigrum plants appeared in the yard, and I’ve allowed them to grow. Although I can’t say I particularly enjoy the berries, I have tried them raw and survived.
me. Since the earliest herbals, when it was known as Petty Morel to distinguish it from Deadly Nightshade, known as Great Morel, this plant has been used for its many medicinal properties. It was mentioned as a famine food in China in the fifteenth century. Research has confirmed that black nightshade has anti-herpes properties. In addition to being a painkiller and sedative, it is used to make people sweat. This plant is more complex than we realize, and given its adaptability, it may prove to be a useful resource in the face of climate change.
However, the fully black, ripe berries that are simple to pick from plants growing in sanitary environments are juicy and sweet with a hint of savory. Many people value and use the leaves and berries on a regular basis all over the world, from the Pacific Islands to Africa, Europe, and America. For instance, young tender plants are steamed with other greens in a dish called horta in Greece and Turkey. I first heard about the benefits of eating blackberries from a Mori friend, and since then I’ve learned that Mori, Pacific Islanders, and people in other tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia all steam or boil young green leaves and consume them for their calcium, phosphorus, and iron content. I myself have.
potatoes and egg plants, and we are aware that we must process unripe fruit (e g. green tomato chutney), and we never eat green potatoes. As a result, unripe, green black nightshade berries should not be consumed raw because they contain the toxin solanine (although I have seen Indian recipes where the green berries are soaked in buttermilk and dried).
I decided to start the year with a plant that gets a bad rap because this is the first blog post of 2017 in general. You might be surprised to learn that Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum), also known as “Deadly Nightshade,” is actually an edible weed. Although it belongs to the same solanum family, Atropa bella-donna is a completely different plant, and it is extremely rare in New Zealand. However, belladonna is a potent drug that is used by optometrists to dilate pupils during eye exams and in homeopathy!
I enjoyed the berries, which grow without any help from me, and I steamed the leaves with other greens and found them to be very edible.