Comments on: Black Nightshade – it’s (nearly) everywhere http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/ Our place, our voices Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Leon Perrie http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-37311 Mon, 20 May 2013 05:10:40 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-37311 Thanks very much for sharing your observations Stewart.

]]> By: Stewart Dixon http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-37238 Sun, 19 May 2013 09:11:06 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-37238 Happy to report that I’ve eaten the ripe purple berries of black nightshade for several years now without ill effect. It’s a common weed on my property in Levin. The larger plants can be hard to pull out and the stem will often slip through the hands, leaving sap/juice and squashed berries on your hands, however I’ve never suffered any ill-effects from this – except a sore lower back from yanking at too many plants to try to up-root them!

]]> By: Leon Perrie http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-33025 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:59:49 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-33025 Hi Grant,

Short answer: I don’t know, sorry.

I am not aware of similar reports of black nightshade sap being problematic. And, with my previous weedy garden, I did pull out numerous black nightshade plants without ill effect, but I don’t remember getting the sap on my skin.

However, the sap of some plant species can be poisonous/toxic via skin contact, and ***people do differ in their reactions***.

Although a lot of people report happily consuming black nightshade, it is I think worth pointing out that the NZ Poisons Centre list it amongst their top 10 poisonous plants; for more, see: http://www.poisons.co.nz/fact.php?f=12&c=22

I hope you’re feeling better by now.
Leon

]]> By: Grant Jones http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-33022 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:02:05 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-33022 By the way, ref one of the earlier comments, Woody Nightshade is an alternative common name for Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) in the UK.

]]> By: Grant Jones http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-32919 Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:52:55 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-32919 Hi, interested to read the comments above. Very strange experience today – tried to pull up a particularly vigorous specimen of presumably black nightshade growing in our compost bin. As I pulled I stripped the outer stem, leaving green juice over my hands. Thinking nothing of it, I carried on with my chores. Ten minutes or so later, I came over very peculiar – sweating, dizziness, disorientation, etc. I had to sit down before I fell down. Several hour later symptoms still persist but milder. Is this a coincidence or was it a result of toxicity from the nightshade? Can it enter the body via the skin? Thanks.

]]> By: Thelma May Cotton http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-32170 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:38:24 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-32170 I have been eating the ripe black night for years it tasts really good,a Maori friend came to visit so I asked him what are these and he said we used to have them mashed with cream when he was a kid ,I have never tried the leaves love all the feed back all my friends say hey don’t eat that they are shocked when I tell them I been eating them for long time

]]> By: Leon Perrie http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-27615 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:04:05 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-27615 Hi Lindsay,
Thanks for your observations. I’m particularly interested in your report of Deadly Nightshade near Thames. I can’t find any official accounts of this species in NZ outside Canterbury. Do you remember where near Thames you saw it, as I will investigate next time I am up there. It would be great to verify your find with a specimen, and then spread the word.
Thanks, Leon
PS. there are other nightshade (or nightshade-like) species in NZ with purple flowers (in addition to the poroporo species too).

]]> By: Lindsay http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-26925 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 20:24:26 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-26925 Here in NZ, I often eat Black Nightshade leaves raw in salads ( or this weekend, sautéed and added to the filling for some savory puff pastry pinwheels hehe). Initially I was taught this by a friend who is a long- time forager ( and mentioned in one of Andrew Crowe’s foraging books). I was taught one of the simplest ways to differentiate between Black and Deadly Nightshade, is that black Nightshade has white flowers, whereas Deadly Nightshade has purple. I’ve only discovered Deadly Nightshade on two occasions here in NZ, the first being in Thames, the second time I cannot recall clearly. The main caution is to avoid unripe berries, as they have a high solanine content which could make you sick.

]]> By: Jacinda http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-21643 Mon, 09 Jul 2012 03:14:54 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-21643 Hi Leon,
Many thanks for that,
Jacinda

]]> By: Leon Perrie http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2009/04/14/black-nightshade-its-nearly-everywhere/#comment-21633 Sun, 08 Jul 2012 03:03:33 +0000 http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/?p=2731#comment-21633 Hi Jacinda,
I suspect your visitor will be okay. She nevertheless seems a bit cavalier. Perhaps she’s an expert with these plants, but if not, we should remember that there are around the world a number of very similar-looking species and forms whose toxicity may vary. I’d err on the side of caution.
Black nightshade and its allies are included in the “Plants that Poison. A New Zealand Guide” book. The book is probably being cautious, but its advice is worth knowing before contemplating eating New Zealand material of this species. It says that the unripe berries are the most toxic part of the plant, and that signs and symptoms can be delayed by 6-12 hours and can include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even stupor. Its advice is to “Contact the National Poisons Centre [0800 764 766] if more than 3 unripe or 6 ripe berries are eaten, or any symptoms occur”.
Leon

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