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Blackberry Nightshade Solanum Nigrum Seeds
Packet of 25+ seeds for this potentially poisonous ornamental herb.
This form is a little different in growth than the common weedy one I normally see, and the seeds of it were originally swapped with a friend of mine.
It has a much larger fruit and more bushy, slower growth, and the whole plant is quite attractive. Pretty little ornamental with an amazing history of uses, plenty of reasons to have it in the collection.
I grow it in pots to avoid spreading it around the garden, I never eat it or use it for any other purpose, and I am selling it as an ornamental only.
Historically it has been used as a medicine, a dye, a torture device, and most commonly as a food, a staple in some regions of the world even today. Not something I would ever recommend and having poisoned myself with this fella once already in my youth, I will never eat it again. Seriously, don’t muck around with this dude, don’t ingest in any way. Collectors piece, ornamental only, not just because of potential legal hassles, this fella can be really dangerous and has killed many times before.
That said, it is not “deadly nightshade” Atropa belladonna which it is often confused with. Atropa belladonna has individual berries, and is very rare in Australia, where as this fella has bunches and the wild forms are everywhere as a roadside or agricultural weed.
It contains varying amounts of the glycoalkaloids Solamargine, Solasonine and Solanine throughout the whole plant, and even though many folks do eat the berries, and many folks do eat the leaves after boiling them, particularly in India, Africa and Asia, it is no where worth the risk. Even in a survival situation I would never eat this fella. If the zombies were coming I would eat a bloody zombie first before I had a nibble on this fella.
The ripe fruit do contain the toxic elements and cooking does not destroy the poisons, it is only a mixture of selected safe strains, and lots of luck that keeps the majority of folks out of trouble. I do not know if this is a safe to eat strain, and even if I did, having been poisoned once I would never ever risk it. I sell the seeds for sensible propagation as an ornamental only.
Pay attention to the following I pinched from Wikipedia. >>>
The symptoms of poisoning are typically delayed for 6 to 12 hours after ingestion. Initial symptoms of toxicity include fever, sweating, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, confusion, and drowsiness. Death from ingesting plant parts results from cardiac arrhythmias and respiratory failure. Children have died after eating unripe berries, and consumption has caused livestock fatalities. Livestock have also been poisoned from nitrate toxicity by grazing the leaves of S. nigrum. The toxicity of Solanum nigrum varies widely depending on the variety, and poisonous plant experts advise to avoid eating the berries unless they are a known edible strain.(This is not known to be one of them). Toxin levels may also be affected by the plant’s growing conditions. Although numerous texts state that the cooked ripe fruit of black nightshade is safe to eat, detoxification can not be attributed to normal cooking temperatures because the decomposition temperature of solanine is much higher at about 243°C! Unripe berries were once used as torture in the Middle Ages and likened as “being on a bad acid trip” and a potent and toxic hallucinogen. It was imported into Australia from Mauritius in the 1850s as a vegetable during the gold rush, but S. nigrum is now prohibited for trade as a food by the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code.
There you go folks, as often requested, Solanum Nigrum or Blackberry nightshade. Germination can take ages or as little as a week. It all depends of soil conditions and temperature. Surface sow on nice sandy loam, water well and cross your fingers. Scarification and GA3 can often speed things up if you are in a hurry.
An attractive ornamental form of this pretty little plant with an interesting history. Keep it well contained as it can be very weedy.
Grown by me and the Mrs organically, no chems, no nasties, no problems!!!
