IDENTIFICATION
Annual or short-lived perennial.
Black nightshade has a single, smooth, upright stem usually not
more than 0.6 m tall. Flowers are white to pale blue and leaves are smooth.
The plant bears globe-shaped berries which are first green, then red,
and finally dark purple when ripe at the end of July.
DAMAGE
Commercial berry and vegetable crop quality is significantly reduced when
black nightshade berries mix with them. The plant also produces
a sticky substance that clogs agricultural equipment. Berries are poisonous
to humans and to most livestock.
HABITAT
In British Columbia, black nightshade is commonly found on disturbed
soils such as roadsides, rights-of-way, cultivated fields, flowerbeds,
and vegetable gardens. It is present in the Okanagan, Thompson, Lower
Mainland, Vancouver Island, and Peace River but is not considered a major
concern in the province.
SPREAD
Berries and seed are dispersed by rodents, birds, livestock, humans, and
along watercourses.
