Cutleaf Nightshade
Solanum triflorum
Family: Solanaceae
What it is like
Solanum triflorum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 0.8
Where it is found
Dry plains, open woods, roadsides etc.
N. America - Ontario to Manitoba, Kansas and New Mexico. Naturalized in Britain in Norfolk.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Fruit - raw or cooked. Used in times of food shortage. Eaten as a fruit or vegetable, the fruit can also be dried, ground into a powder and used with cereals for making bread etc. The ripe fruit can be boiled, mashed and mixed with ground chilli and salt then used as a condiment with mush or bread.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A decoction of the berries has been used in the treatment of stomach aches and for children with diarrhoea.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Other
Rating: 0
How it is grown
Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position. This species is said to be a good companion for watermelons, it has been planted with them in order to make the watermelons more prolific and ripen earlier. An infusion of the plant has been sprayed on the watermelons in order to make them more prolific and ripen earlier.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Although no specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus where many if not all the members have poisonous leaves and sometimes also the unripe fruits.