Solanum dulcamara seed

LATIN NAME: SOLANUM DULCAMARA

COMMON NAME: Bittersweet Nightshade

The bittersweet nightshade bells the scrambling, woody climber with the arrow-shaped, dark-green leaves and the loose clusters of the small, violet-purple flowers with the bright-yellow centres, the flowers belling through the summer, the small, glossy, red berries following. The plant twines through the hedges and the fences, and it likes the sun or the light shade, and the moist, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The yellow-centred flowers of the bittersweet nightshade give it a recognised place in the research on the twining hedgerow plants of the great nightshade family, and the dulcamara species appears in the studies of the stem chemistry and the traditional uses. The work looks at the way the plant scrambles through the hedges, the autumn berries, and the seed biology. The ecologists value the bird food, and the growers of the wild and cottage gardens keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the wild corner, the bittersweet nightshade bells the summer fence with the violet flowers. The berries feed the birds through the autumn, the twining stems clothe the fences and the banks, and the plant has served the old practice for the ages, though the berries are for the birds, not for the table. It grows well in the moist, well-drained ground. Violet-belled, red-berried and bird-fed.

To grow the Bittersweet Nightshade from seed, press the fresh seeds into the surface of the damp, gritty mix in the autumn, then leave the pots outside in the cold through the winter, and keep the mix damp.

Press the fresh seeds into the surface of the damp, gritty mix in the autumn, and pot the young plants on as they grow. The bell blooms come within the season. The young plants appear in the spring, and the bell blooms will open through the summer.

Solanum dulcamara is a species of vine in the potato genus Solanum, family Solanaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia. It is a semi-woody herbaceous perennial vine capable of reaching a height of 4 m where suitable support is available, but more often 1–2 m high. The leaves are 4–12 cm long.