bittersweet nightshade
Family
SolanaceaeScientific Name
Solanum dulcamara
Other Common Names:
climbing nightshade
Leaves
Leaves: Dark green to sometimes dark purplish, 1-4 inches long, petiolated, alternate, and often have 2 basal lobes or leaflets at the base. Leaves not lobed in this manner are ovate to oval. All leaves have smooth, entire margins and may have an unpleasant odor. Lobed leaves are a good identifying characteristic, however they are not always present as illustrated here.
Identifying Characteristics
A trailing or climbing perennial vine with purple and yellow flowers and spreading stems that may reach up to 10 feet in length. All parts of the plant are toxic. Perennial vine that roots at the nodes, often with leaves that have 2 basal leaflets at the base. Eastern Black Nightshade (Solanum ptycanthum) is often confused with bittersweet nightshade, but is an annual with an upright growth habit, and has wavy leaf margins and black berries.
Flower Seed Head
Flowers: Star-shaped, with purple petals and a yellow or orange center, 12-16 mm in diameter.
Seed Fruit
Stems: Becoming semi-woody with age, creeping, prostrate, and rooting at the nodes.
Fruit: Bright-red, egg-shaped berries arranged in clusters. Berries contain flat, round, yellowish seeds.
Where Found
Bittersweet nightshade is found throughout most of the United States, most common in the eastern and north-central states.
Growth Habit
woody bush or tree
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
dime
Dominant Flower Color
purple
Flower Symmetry
bilateral symmetry
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Shape
Varies:
oval,
triangle
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Vine