“Black nightshade is sometimes confusingly referred to as ‘deadly nightshade’ in older herbals due to its fruit, which does somewhat resemble the berries of the belladonna plant. Its flowers are quite distinct, though, being small and very delicate blooms of white and yellow. The American variety (solanum ptychanthum) has glossy berries, while the berries of the solanum nigrum are typically more matte in appearance. Most varieties of black nightshade contain levels of the toxin solanine that are quite dangerous to the body…”
-from The Charmer’s Root: Witching Ways with Common Flora
Original illustration based on a plant found in the wild.
Roger J. Horne 