What is this volunteer?

I need help in identifying this volunteer that appeared in my garden about 6 weeks ago. It has tiny 1/8th inch white flowers with yellow in the middle. Leaves remind me of a pepper's. It is has grown to about 18 inches tall and wide since I first noticed it. It is in the same spot as a Buffalobur that volunteered. I'm guessing maybe they came from the digestive sytem of the same bird. Any help is appreciated. I don't know if this is important, but I live in the Central Valley of California.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the fruit clusters are in groups of 7, all of them.

This message was edited Sep 1, 2008 10:53 PM

I hope someone comes along who can help you. I've never seen anything like that.

Karen

A nightshade maybe?

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54503/

Prickle,

Now that you mention nightshade . . . . could well be. Certainly the flower and leaf description fits nightshade.

Karen

The nightshade has little spines or thorns on it best i remember. So, what do you think Joesgirl?

Les

There are nightshades on the west coast that don't have spines or thorns, so this could still be a nightshade even if it has no thorns. I just don't remember seeing those green berries on nightshade. Either I always pulled them before they got to that point or I didn't notice.

Karen

Thanks so much everybody. You put me on the right track. I started looking at the different types of Nightshade and I think I have it narrowed down to either Solanum Americanum, American Nightshade or Solanum ptycanthum, Eastern Black Nightshade, also called West Indian nightshade. Thanks for the link Prickle.

This message was edited Sep 1, 2008 11:39 PM

Oh!!!!!!!!! You don't want this in your garden. Unfortunately, it is all over my yard because I live on a lake and every year that and a few other unwanted visitors blow in. The white flowers turn into the green round balls and than turn purple and they can survive the winter, I think. Even here in Minnesota. The plant is a pest that's for sure

The leaves of the Nightshade we get here (in the mid-west) look very 'tomato' like. Tomatoes are in the Nightshade family. From what I see of those leaves they don't look like tomato leaves but then again I can't really see much of them. The berries are poisonous (or at least harmful) if ingested but birds love them and they’re a good natural source of food for them. Having said that and despite the fact that I feed the birds I always pull them up and discard them. They're really not very pretty to look at.;o) I used to allow Pokeberry plants to grow in the yard and on my privacy fence because a mature plant is beautiful and the birds love the berries (especially Mockingbirds). But they’re also poisonous if eaten so now that we have 4 grandkids I pull them when they sprout up (which is all the time!). I’ve sautéed poke leaves many times and they’re delicious too (my deceased Mother in law from Tenn. taught me about that, bless her heart ;o).

Fascinating fact...or not :)

Some varieties of nightshade, Solanum nigra, are edible. Called Garden Huckleberry, Wonderberry or Sunberry they are cultivated for their fruit, to make jam and wine.

Others in the nightshade family: tomato, eggplant, potato. Some people are allergic to the nightshade family of plants, and probably don't know it.

Les

The nightshade we get here from visiting birds or berries dropping etc are beautiful plants but so toxic you have to wash your hands after touching the foliage or break the stems when trying to remove them and the smell is disgusting so you just know that smell will not be something welcome in your garden, it was used in medicines times ago and was found to be a murderers choice of killing in the olden days along with foxgloves etc. if you have pets or kids, I would get rid if your not sure which night shade you have growing, better safe than sorry. try to dig out the small tubers under the soil. WeeNel.

I made jam last year with a nightshade berry. My kids loved it so much, they asked me to make more. The berries are green at first (like your picture) and then turn almost black. I don't like the taste off the vine, but when you add sugar to them it brings out a berry flavor. Probably why its called garden huckleberry.

I ordered some seeds this spring and planted them. I tried to make jam last week, but it had a bitter taste, not like last years. I think I might have ordered a different variety, or they are not ripe enough. I'll wait for a while then try again. The jam I made last year was excellent.

I