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Western horsenettle

Solanum dimidiatum

Also called Torrey's Nightshade, Carolina Horse Nettle, Torrey Nightshade, Horsenettle

Western horsenettle
Photo: sonnia hill, CC BY 2.0

Western horsenettle is a prickly, rhizomatous perennial herb in the nightshade family, native to the central United States and Mexico, often found in disturbed ground and treated as a weed in California. It spreads from underground rhizomes, so it is best kept in a contained bed or pot.

Family
Solanaceae (Nightshade family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly; it tolerates drought once established and rots if kept soggy.
Soil
Well-drained soil or sandy loam; tolerates poor soil.
Temperature
18–35 °C; hardy to around -15 °C as a dormant rhizome.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts, especially the unripe berries and leaves, contain solanine and related alkaloids that can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and drowsiness if eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
C. & SE. U.S.A. to Mexico (Coahuila)
Climate
temperate

About

Solanum dimidiatum is a species of plant in the family Solanaceae known by the common names western horsenettle, Torrey's nightshade, and robust horsenettle. It is native to the central United States, where it grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas. In California it is known as an introduced species and a noxious weed. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb producing an erect stem up to 80 centimeters tall. It is covered in yellow prickles and branched hairs. The leaves may be up to 15 centimeters long, their edges wavy to lobed and sometimes toothed. The inflorescence is a branching array of several flowers. Each flower has a bell-shaped corolla measuring 3 to 5 centimeters wide. It is lavender to purple, or white. The five large, yellow anthers are about a centimeter long. The fruit is a spherical yellow berry up to 3 centimeters wide.

Other Solanum plants

Dwarf Tamarillo · Solanum acaule · Sodaapple nightshade · Ethiopian nightshade · American black nightshade · Solanum arcanum · New Zealand nightshade · Solanum berthaultii · Tamarillo · Solanum brevicaule · Solanum cajanumense · Bitter Apple

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Solanum dimidiatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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