HERB - Nightshades

[Kathleen Keeler]

Jadwega, where are you located?
  If by arching borage you mean the stuff with the blue flowers and the

> hairy leaves, NO! *twitch* Nightshade looks like morning glory, with
> smooth, narrow heart shaped leaves, and a twining habit. Its flowers are
> blue with a yellow center and look a bit like small columbines.
> Borage has hairy, broad leaves and stems (3" by 8") and all-blue flowers;
> it might be mistaken for small comfrey or lamb's ears, maybe...
>
> Jadwiga
> (who was trained by her mother that removing nightshade plants is a
> justifiable reason for trespassing-- my brother almost died from eating
> nightshade berries at the age of 4.)
>

It sounds like you are describing _Solanum dulcamara_ climbing nightshade.
In the Flora of the Great Plains ND SD NE KS OK and part of surrounding states
there are 11 species of _Solanum_, of which that 's the only vine.  Of those
species, 8 have common names of nightshade (e.g melon-leaf nightshade,
silver-leaf nightshade) the others are horse-nettles or buffalo bur.  Of the
"nightshades" 1 has purple/ blue flowers (corollas), 3 white, and 4 have
flowers from purple to blue to white.
About half are clearly labeled poisonousin the Flora. Harrington (Edible native
plants of the Rocky Mountains, just west of the range of my Flora) lists black
nightshade as edible.  Likewise, Lust (the Herb Book) lists black nightshade
(_Solanum nigrum_ )as toxic and then comments that cooking apparently
detoxifies the fruits making them edible.

There is apparently a species complex with very poor taxonomy (or
hard-to-distinguish plants)

Of the nightshades in Flora of the Great Plains, silver-leaf nightshade,
_Solanum elaeagnifolium_ is described as erect, 1-10 dm (1/10 m-1 m, or up to
3' tall) having a dense layer of pubescence that hides the surface and pale to
deep blue to lavender flowers--this might be confused with borage.  Apparently
its all over my region, also to e and w US, s. to TX,AZ and NM but south of NE
and the Dakotas.  The berrries, say the flora, are reported to have killed
cattle, but they don't mark it as as poisonous as other species.
Anyone know this species?  is it too white to pass for borage?

Agnes
kkeeler1 at unl.edu

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