Garden weed with blue black berries?

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Date Photo Taken: 08/19/2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posted By: edyb

Notes:

I found this plant among my tomatoes. It looks like a weed of some kind but I’ve never come across one with so many distinct little bluish black round berries. I wonder if they are edible or poisonous, and if it is something worth cultivating. The flowers are really small white with yellow centers and really not that interesting. If not for the berries, it would never have caught my attention.

COMMENTS

  1. Walter Reeves The Georgia Gardener says:

    I believe it’s black nightshade

    see http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/black-nightshade-poisonous/

    August 20th, 2012 at 9:02 am

  2. edyb Unregistered says:

    Thanks. Did a bit more research. Likely to be “solanum ptychanthum” or Eastern Black Nightshade, also known as West Indian Nightshade. The ripe berries are NOT poisonous, but contain solanine which if taken in too high doses can upset the stomach.

    NOT to be confused with “atropa belladonna” which is Deadly Nightshade. They do look different. The flowers and the arrangement of berries look different, and that plant is very poisonous.

    I had 3 of the ripe dark purple/black berries yesterday and they tasted ok. I am still alive and feel fine. However I did my research and consulted many resources to correctly identify the plant, including your website which is excellent!

    Here is another good summary:

    http://foragersharvest.com/black-nightshade-2/

    August 25th, 2012 at 2:19 pm

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