Solanum nigrum Seeds | Black Nightshade
LATIN NAME: Solanum nigrum
COMMON NAME: Black Nightshade, Garden Nightshade
Plant Profile
Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum) is a spreading, annual in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to regions of the eurasia and the Africa, while it has spread widely across the world. Pollinating insects take to the flowers at once, adding a little wildlife interest to its garden value. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the nightshade family regularly include Solanum nigrum in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Black nightshade has a real and distinguished place in research. The upshot for anyone sowing it is reassurance — cultivated stock of this plant has a long, well-documented track record.
Uses & Benefits
Black Nightshade brings genuine presence to the garden and earns its keep across the growing season. Black nightshade is an upright, annual herb of disturbed ground, bearing oval, bright-green leaves and clusters of small, white flowers, followed by black berries. Its black berries are a food for birds, and its spreading, branching habit gives a quick cover on disturbed ground, while its tolerance of poor soil and disturbance makes it a hardy plant of gardens and the fields. To raise black nightshade, sow seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a sunny, warm place, keep them gently watered, and grow little plants on in the sun. It establishes readily and then requires nothing out of the ordinary.
The nightshade genus feeds the world, potato, tomato, eggplant, and arms it too: goji is its tonic member, while many ornamentals carry toxic solanine-type alkaloids, so identification is everything in this genus.
Growing from Seed
Black Nightshade grows readily from seed. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Black Nightshade, Garden Nightshade earns its space through character rather than fuss. The only critical period is germination, when the compost must stay evenly moist.
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