Woody nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) berries

Solanum dulcamara, also known as bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, Amara Dulcis, climbing nightshade, fellenwort, felonwood, poisonberry, poisonflower, scarlet berry, snakeberry, trailing bittersweet, trailing nightshade, violet bloom, or woody nightshade, is a species of vine in the potato genus Solanum, family Solanaceae.

It is native to Europe and Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere, including North America, where it is an invasive problem weed. It occurs in a very wide range of habitats, from woodlands to scrubland, hedges and marshes. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes region and was first spotted in 1843.

Bittersweet is a semi-woody herbaceous perennial vine, which scrambles over other plants, capable of reaching a height of 4 m where suitable support is available, but more often 1–2 meters high. The leaves are 4–12 cm long, roughly arrowhead-shaped, and often lobed at the base.

The flowers are in loose clusters of 3–20, 1–1.5 cm across, star-shaped, with five purple petals and yellow stamens and style pointing forward. The fruit is an ovoid red berry about 1 cm long, soft and juicy, and edible for birds, which disperse the seeds widely.

Description adapted from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_nightshade

• Biota
• Life
• Vitae
• Eukaryota
• Plantae
• Plants
• Magnoliophyta
• Flowering Plants
• Angiosperms
• Magnoliopsida
• Dicotyledons
• Solanales
• Solanaceae
• Nightshades
• Solanum
• Solanum dulcamara
• Woody nightshade
• Bittersweet
• Bittersweet nightshade
• Bitter nightshade
• Blue bindweed
• Amara Dulcis
• Climbing nightshade
• Fellenwort
• Felonwood
• Poisonberry
• Poisonflower
• Scarlet berry
• Snakeberry
• Trailing bittersweet
• Trailing nightshade
• Violet bloom
• Berries

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