Foraging and Identifying EDIBLE black nightshade berries

Latin Name: Solanum nigrum, Solanum americanum and Solanum ptychanthum
Common Names: Black nightshade
Season: Summer through mid fall (northern states/Canada), early summer through fall and early winter (southern states/Mexico)
Edible: Yes, ripe fruit
Flavor: Excellent 
Medicinal and nutritional value: Undetermined, probably similar to tomatoes 

Identification difficulty: Intermediate

Warning: The plants known as "black nightshades" are in the nightshade family, which has some infamously poisonous and deadly members, including deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna. The plants we will be discussing today are more closely related to tomatoes and eggplants, and have fruit that is edible when FULLY RIPE and cooked. Unripe fruit has been known to be deadly poisonous, especially to children. Even though we will go over how to safely identify and forage these plants, especial care should be given whenever foraging the nightshade family, and you must consult with several reliable sources regarding identification and safe consumption of these plants. As always, this blog is intended as a guide, but not the sole guide. 

Nightshade. The very name is nearly synonymous in our cultural consciousness with poison. This is odd because, unless you have an allergy, there's a good chance that you eat nightshades most every day. 

Tomatoes, potatoes, yams, eggplant, sweet and spicy peppers, these are all fruits in the nightshade family that are readily eaten in North America and Europe. Central and South American countries frequently eat even a wider variety of nightshades, including groundcherries, tomatillos, and naranjilla. In Southeast Asia one could also find goji berries among the list of commonly eaten nightshades. 

The plants we are going to talk about today are members of the genus Solanum, specifically Solanum nigrum (European black nightshade, African black nightshade or Old-World black nightshade), Solanum americanum (American black nightshade, glossy black nightshade or new-world black nightshade), and Solanum ptychanthum (Eastern black nightshade or Indian black nightshade). The three species of black nightshades are in the same genus as tomatoes, (Solanum lycopersicum), potatoes, (Solanum tuberosum), and eggplants/aubergines (Solanum melongena). 

Collectively, these plants are called black nightshades in North America, a name which encourages confusion and fear with another black-fruiting nightshade called deadly nightshade, or Atropa belladonna. In Europe, these species are sometimes known as garden huckleberries, but the name huckleberry refers to a completely different plant, related to blueberries, in North America. 

In honor of spooky season, I thought it would be fun to share this post in October. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Black nightshade caution and controversy

I'm trying to get more confident at identifying
black nightshades at this young stage so that I may 
try the cooked young leaves. 

There are many sources, including some very official ones, that will tell you that the fruit of black nightshade plants is poisonous. Many state websites state that the ripe fruit is less poisonous than the other parts of the plant, but poisonous nevertheless. Some people say they eat the ripe fruit raw, and still others say it must be cooked. 

Additionally, there are many sources which will tell you that the young leaves and stems are edible cooked and used as a pot-herb in many parts of the world. Still other sources will tell you that the plants may be edible in say, Africa, but become poisonous in North America. There is also the possibility that these nightshades might hybridize with other members of the genus Solanum, and that's why people have found poisonous leaves. . .

So what to believe? Well, I don't know everything, so I am only sharing with you here what I DO know. and that is that I have eaten the fully ripe, black berries, both completely raw and fully cooked and have suffered no ill effects. I have not eaten the young green leaves, but if I do I will let you know. I will not make any statement I have not personally tried myself. 

That said, I would be willing to try young black nightshade leaves, as I trust the sources who say they are edible, but personally I find the young plants difficult to distinguish from other, potentially poisonous nightshades. The plants are hard to tell apart before the flower buds form, and once the flower buds do form, you shouldn't be eating the leaves any longer. 

Mature old-world black nightshade plant, Solanum nigrum, growing on my own property,
portion of a woman's size 10 foot (mine) for scale.
Plant is covered in flowers and both ripe and unripe fruit. 
Photo taken north of Dallas in late May.

Mature American black nightshade, Solanum americanum, growing in one of the most disgusting alleyways in downtown Dallas TX, and absolutely loving it.
Covered in flowers and fruit (I didn't eat, given the location).
This picture was taken in mid-December.

Black nightshade identification

A special note on identification

The three "black nightshade" plants are different but have overlapping features, which makes grouping them together into one ID post rather tricky. Solanum nigrum and Solanum americanum are the most different, and Solanum ptychanthum is kind of like a mix between both features. In fact, some speculate that S. ptychanthum might be a hybrid species from intermixing between the native and introduced plants. Regardless, I will do my best to specify which features are the same and which are different between the species. 

• S. nigrum, commonly known as black nightshade or European black nightshade is native to Eurasia but has spread throughout the Americas, Australia/Indonesia/New Zealand, and parts of Africa.
• S. americanum, commonly known as American black nightshade or glossy nightshade, is native to northern South America, Central America, the southern and west-coast states of the United States, and--surprisingly--Australia. It has spread beyond it's native range and can be found throughout the Americas, and has been introduced to many warm-climate regions of the world, including the Mediterranean and many parts of Africa. 
• S. ptychanthum, or eastern black nightshade is found throughout North America and into Central America. Whether it is native or not is debatable. If it is not native, it is debatable where it originated. There is speculation that it is a hybrid species between S. nigrum and S. americanum. Despite having a larger range than S. americanum, it is less commonly encountered than either of the above species. 

In my experience in the US, S. nigrum is far and away the most abundant of the black nightshades, followed by S. americanum (most abundant on the east coast), while S. ptychanthum is quite rare. Indeed, I am not 100% sure when I have identified it and that I wasn't actually finding a weird S. nigrum. 

S. ptychanthum leaves looking a bit more lanceolate than either other black nightshade, 
but with features that resemble the other 2, including some scalloped edges like S. nigrum,
but also some smoothness at the end of the leaf, like S. americanum.

Black nightshade plant and stem features

• Black nightshade is a weedy looking plant, not much more than 2 feet tall, often much shorter, and between 8 inches and 4 feet in diameter. 
• Black nightshade is multi-branching, and will grow stretched out where conditions are less than ideal, but will grow full and bushy where it has good soil and shade. 
• Black nightshade stems are green (S. americanum) or green with red/purple branch nodes (S. ptychanthum and S. nigrum). In some cases of heavy sunlight, S. nigrum and S. ptychanthum will have fully red-purple stems.
• Black nightshade will reach its full size somewhere in late spring, but will not fruit until summer.

Purple/red blotches at the stem joints of S. nigrum; also note the unripe fruit, (which is poisonous),
with calyxes that are smaller than the berry.

Scalloped leaves on S. nigrum; S. americanum has smooth leaf edges.

Black nightshade leaf features

• Black nightshade leaves are generally diamond-shaped or pointed-egg shaped. Leaves are shorter on the side attached to the petiole (leaf stem) and elongated after the widest part of the leaf. In poor growing conditions these leaves can be more lanceolate.
• S. nigrum leaves can be quite large when mature, as large as a deck of cards. These leaves will have large scallops on the leaf edges. S. nigrum leaves are a solid bright green to emerald green with a prominent central mid-vein. Veins branch off the mid-vein and angle forward to the leaf edge. 
• S. americanum leaves are around 1/3 to 1/2 smaller, not much larger than an extra-large chicken egg, at the largest. American black nightshade leaves are emerald green and may have a "mottled" light green pattern, like a turtle's shell. S. americanum leaves have a central mid-vein, and the veins that branch off angle forward, but they don't go to the leaf edge, instead they curve into the next vein. 
• S. ptychanthum leaves have features resembling both S. nigrum and S. americanum. 
• Leaves do NOT appear as a compound leaf, which is to say, they do NOT appear like multiple leaflets growing off a central leaf stem. (More on this later)
• Most black nightshade leaves are lighter on the underside than on the top, but only slightly. The undersides are definitely not silvery or white. S. ptycanthum, however, can have purple or dark grey on the underside of the leaf.

Both S. nigrum (left) and S. americanum (right) exhibiting what
I've termed "fractal threes" leaf growth. Many nightshades grow leaves like this.

"Fractal threes" leaf growth

Many plants in the nightshade family exhibit a leaf growth that I call "fractal threes" -- I'm not sure if there is a scientific name for the term. If you look at the image directly above, you will see that leaves grow in sets of 3, which then continually add in triads. 

The image of  S. nigrum (left) has 3 large leaves, but the 2 bottom leaves have grown 2 more leaves each, making them into new sets of 3. Additionally, the  2 smaller leaves on the top set each have tiny little leaves growing, again producing sets of 3. Unfortunately, many other nightshades, including poisonous ones, also exhibit this feature. 

Another detail of the repeating patterns of threes in nightshade leaf growth,
this example is S. nigrum

Black nightshade flower features

• Black nightshade flowers have WHITE petals with yellow centers. Petals are not yellow, and especially not purple, blue, pink or burgundy. 
• Black night shade flowers have 5 petals, arranged like a traditional star--NOT a bell or tube.
• The petals of black nightshade flowers are straight at first, but eventually bend backwards, making the flower resemble a firework.
• The yellow anthers, at the center of the petal cluster, are quite prominent and stick out significantly. 
• Flowers grow in clusters, where each flower is on a stem, but the stems come together at a single point attaching to the branches. Together the flower stems bow slightly, reminding me of the ribs on an umbrella. 
• Flowers do not grow individually, nor do they grow in a line

Focus on the calyxes

Black nightshade calyx features

The calyx is a "whorl" or "crown" of sepals (flower parts) after the flower has seemingly died away. The calyx is most often green and will resemble a leaf formation to the untrained eye. The calyx appears on top of the fruit, where the fruit stem attaches. 

• Black nightshade berries have 5-part calyxes that are SMALLER than the diameter of the berry, and curve backwards towards the fruit stem. 
• The calyx looks like leaves forming a crown at the top of the berry.
• Black nightshade calyxes are green/dark green and not purple or reddish
• Calyxes are rounded on the ends, or come to soft points; they do not come to long, sharp points that look like daggers or claws.

S. nigrum fruit showing green fruit, partially ripe red/green fruit and 
fully ripe black fruit. Only the ripe fruit should be eaten.

Black nightshade fruit features

• Black nightshade fruits in summer and fall, into winter in the Southern United States. The plant will frequently have both flowers and fruit on it at the same time, helping with identification. 

• 

  Unripe fruit, which is poisonous, should not be eaten

  Black nightshade fruits are green when unripe and black* when ripe.
• Fruit ripens from green to dark green to purple-green to black. It never has a yellow, orange or red phase. If you find fruit in these colors you have the wrong plant.
• Fruit is small, slightly smaller than a pea (1cm/.4 of an inch) for S. americanum and S. ptychanthum, and slightly larger than a pea for S. nigrum. When green, fruit is the size of a pencil eraser. 
• Berries are shiny/glossy for S. americanum, and matte or dull for the other two species of black nightshade.
• Berries grow in clusters, NOT INDIVIDUALLY. The clusters hang from fruit stems, all of which come together at one point. The fruit also does not grow in a line. 
• Ripe black nightshade fruit are filled with tiny seeds that surround a central core (rather like a tiny tomato). Between the seeds the flesh is juicy and translucent, like a grape but softer and purple. 

* Some varieties produce reddish-orange fruits, but these do not grow in North America, and should not be eaten if found unless you trust a local expert to identify them for you. 

Very young black nightshade

Very young black nightshade leaves are edible, but resemble far too many other members of the nightshade family, including poisonous or deadly species. I currently avoid young nightshades and recommend the same for anyone who isn't very experienced. 

Look-a-likes for black nightshade

Deadly nightshade - Atropa belladonna - DEADLY poisonous

Atropa belladonna, deadly nightshade, fruit
showcasing individual growth and 
 how the calyx is larger than the berry

Image credit to user Flobbadob,
via Wikimedia commons.
Original image here.

Most of the information provided in the above post has been specifically shared to rule out deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna, but let's get into specifics:

• Deadly nightshade flowers are bell- or tube-shaped, not stars, and they range in color from pink to burgundy to purple or even nearly black, but never white. 
• Deadly nightshade fruit and flowers grow individually, not in drooping clusters.
• The calyx on a deadly nightshade berry is a star LARGER than the size of the fruit; the calyx appears to surround the fruit like a halo, rather than sitting on top like a crown. 
• The calyx of deadly nightshade is sometimes (but not always) purple-ish or reddish.
• Deadly nightshade fruit is glossy black, whereas S. ptychanthum and S. nigrum have dull, matte fruit. (Note that S. americanum has glossy black fruit, so refer to other distinguishing factors to help your ID).

Atropa belladonna has historically been used as medicine, cosmetics and to induce recreational hallucinations and/or delirium. Given the dangers of overdose associated with this plant I cannot recommend it for any of these activities, especially not cosmetic or recreational. If you come from a culture that has traditional and deep understanding of the plant as medicine, and you feel confident using it under the guidance of a cultural healer, than that is a decision you make for yourself alone. 

Wild 4-corners potato - Solanum jamesii - dangerously poisonous

4-corners wild potato or S. jamesii, with deadly leaves, 
flowers and fruit

Image credit to user Patrick Alexander via Wikimedia Commons.
Original image here. 

The 4-corners potato or James wild potato, S. jamesii, is probably the plant that most closely resembles the 3 black nightshade species listed above. Though the tubers are apparently edible (like those of cultivated potatoes) the leaves and both ripe and unripe fruits are quite dangerously poisonous. While a few might only make an adult sick, they could be lethal for a child or anyone with a sensitivity.

Unfortunately, due to its small native range, S. jamesii doesn't get nearly the attention it should as a look-alike species. This plant is native to the "4 corners" states: Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. It has spread somewhat into far-west Texas and Nebraska, it may also be found in Oklahoma and/or Kansas. 

7-part oddly pinnately compound leaf. 
S. jamesii sometimes is 7-part,
but sometimes only 5

• Flowers are white, has 5 star-like petals, and a prominent, yellow central cluster of anthers, JUST LIKE black nightshades.
• Like black nightshades, flowers and fruit grow in umbral clusters.
• Just like black nightshades S. nigrum and S. ptychanthum, S. jamesii has small berry fruits, roughly the size of a pea, that are white-green, ripening to dark green, then purple, and finally matte or dull black. 
• Unlike black nightshades, the calyxes on 4-corners potatoes are slightly larger than the fruits, but this is subtle. 
• Unlike black nightshades, wild potatoes have oddly pinnately compound leaves. They appear as a set of 5 to 7 extremely narrow, lanceolate leaflets growing on a central leaf stem. This is the main way to prevent mis-identification. Since I can't find a royalty-free image online and have not personally encountered this plant, I have created this graphic to the right, to help you see what I mean regarding the compound leaf. 

Physalis nightshade species - poisonous leaves - edible fruit (some species)

Physalis nightshade, showing leaf similarities
to Solanum ptychanthum or Solanum nigrum

Many Physalis species of the nightshade family produce edible fruits, often called groundcherries. These fruits are important food sources in Central America, particularly Mexico, and some South American countries as well. Despite this, only one Physalis currently gets exported to the U.S., the tomatillo. Some plants are also commercially cultivated fort their ornamental use, we call these Chinese lantern plants. 

• The fruit of Physalis species is enclosed in a papery husk, making the fruit easily distinguishable from that of black nightshade. Not all Physalis grow edible fruits, but all UNRIPE Physalis fruits are poisonous. 
• Physalis flowers are yellow, orange, purple, green or white, and can have black or white interiors, but the petals are not separate, the whole flower looks like one solid star.
• If you are looking to eat black nightshade leaves before the plants flower, make sure you rule out Physalis species, as the leaves are quite similar to S. nigrum and are mildly poisonous. Since this post is about fruit identification, I'm not going to focus on that here--but I did want to make you aware of it. 

Carolina horsenettle (nightshade) - Solanum carolinense - dangerously poisonous

Young S. carolinense, image credit Richard Chambers
via Wikimedia Commons. 

Original image here. 

Carolina horsenettle is considered dangerously poisonous. Eating a single fruit or perhaps a small amount of fruit is unlikely to kill an adult, but could be fatal for a child or anyone with a sensitivity. 

• The entire plant is dangerously poisonous, including the ripe fruit, and young leaves. 
• When the fruit is ripe, it's easy to tell apart as the fruit is yellow. Carolina horsenettle fruit is also much larger, about the size of a marble. 
• Flowers are white but petals are not clearly separated, they look like one solid star. 
• Young leaves somewhat resemble that of Solanum ptychanthum or Solanum nigrum, but horsenettle leaves and stems are covered in prickles or briars, rather like those of true nettles. 

Additional nightshades worth mentioning:

Bittersweet nightshade - Solanum dulcamara - dangerously poisonous
Bittersweet nightshade also has fruits that grow in drooping lines or linear clusters, but the fruits are vibrantly red when ripe, not black, and are egg-shaped rather than round. The fruits will go through stages of yellow and orange, which black nightshades will not. Additionally, the flowers are purple and the plant grows more like a vine. Still, this plant has caused many poisonings in children and is worth mentioning because of that. 

Western horsenettle (nightshade) - Solanum dimidiatum - dangerously poisonous & 
Silverleaf horsenettle (nightshade) - Solanum elaeagnifolium - dangerously poisonous
Western horsenettle shares nearly all the same features as Carolina horsenettle, except it has purple flowers making it even less likely to get confused with black nightshade. Use the same features to rule them out. Silverleaf horsenettle also has purple flowers, it's leaves are quite lanceolate and the leaf undersides are silvery-white. 

Moonflower/Jimsonweed/Thorn Apple - Datura species - dangerously poisonous
The genus Datura, in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, contains extremely dangerously poisonous plants with a plethora of common names, including moonflowers, jimsonweed, thorn apples, devil's trumpets, and hell's bells. The fruit would be impossible to confuse with black nightshade, as it is much larger (the size of a golf ball), green, and covered in spikes or spines. However, the young leaves could be confused with black nightshade, which is another reason I don't recommend trying to eat young black nightshade leaves, unless you are very experienced. 

Eating and using black nightshade in the kitchen

As stated before, black nightshade berries should be harvested only when dead ripe; they must be fully black and soft to the touch. 

A single plant can produce so, so, so many berries.
During the spring when there is plenty of rain, I was harvesting this many fruit twice a week. 

There is some debate about whether you should eat them raw or not. I personally have had a handful, perhaps 20ish berries, raw, with no ill effects. However, there are also reports of people eating large amounts of raw berries and experiencing headaches and lassitude (being tired), though it's also possible they mixed in some underripe berries as well. 

But if the ripe berries do contain some trace amounts of the poisonous solanine, then cooking can help break this down. Cooking would also help if you are accidentally mixing in some berries that aren't super ripe. 

But what do they taste like?

To me, black nightshade berries taste like the best heirloom tomato you've ever had. They are slightly sweet, slightly acidic-tangy, very subtly spicy, and very juicy. Thinking about them makes my mouth water. The flavor is also reminiscent of eggplant. The skins are slightly thicker and tougher than those of most tomatoes, so when you get through the skin it's like they "pop" -- kind of like bobba!

Many people describe the flavor as anise-infused. I personally have never gotten that, but it's possible that the flavor is effected by the environment in which it grows. It's also possible that S. americanum taste more like anise, as I have only eaten S. nigrum and what I think are S. ptychanthum. That said, they do pair well with dishes that contain anise, so try them in savory ways, added as a vegetable into a curry or biriyani.

Black nightshade fruit can be made into jams and jellies or baked into pies, pancakes, muffins, etc. Though personally, if I were going to bake them into anything, I would make sure to keep it a savory rather than sweet product, so as to not fight the flavor. 

If you only have a small amount (as I usually do) black nightshade berries make excellent small-batch condiments, try them with tomatoes in cooked salsas (salsa taqueria) or ketchup, infused into vinegars, or made into sauces, like a bbq sauce.