Categories
Barbie's garden Gardening Home page features Miscellaneous

What’s this?

While I’ve been cleaning up my garden and planting seedlings, I have been watching these two strange “weed” bushes developing in the corner where the old conifer tree was. I wanted to see what they would eventually become, but I am now curious to know what the dickens these are!

The first bush has a very familiar looking flower – similar to a tomato and the actual potato plant!

[one_half]The plants are in this corner[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Here’s a closer look[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Here is the leaf structure[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Leaf and a flower from the side[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Here is the flower[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Full plant again[/one_half_last]

Any clue??

Then, right next to this plant is this alien looking thing! Quite a scary looking horned-pod head!! The rest of the plant is unassuming and quite small. No flowers anywhere. I would love to know what this is!

[one_half]Look at this weird thing! Any ideas?[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Let’s take a closer look[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Here is the leaf structure[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Here is where it is[/one_half_last]

I hope one of our gardening buddies can help solve this mystery!

Happy Gardening xxxxx

 

By Barbara

Country living is the best! Being a true spirit of the earth, my garden is all about vegetables and fruit trees and herbs and chickens roaming free. I was keen to really start gardening when we moved to Philadelphia in 2005, but not your typical suburban-type garden – sterile and bug-free! I wanted an edible garden.

16 replies on “What’s this?”

I am a follower of your blog, from South India. The first one could be Solanum nigrum as you mentioned. But I don’t know it is an edible one. In India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, the edible version of this plant is considered as a spinach and consumed by people as a curry or soup. It is good for mouth ulcer. Kids used to eat the fruits and the unripened dried fruits are cooked with tamarind.

Well – I did some research and it is definitely Black Nightshade (Solanum Nigrum). Most web sites say it is highly poisonous, especially to horses. So it is OUT! The other is also going, but need to do some research as to what it is!
Thanks for all your help 🙂

Yes – you are right it is a Solanum but I think mine is a weed!! 🙁 It could be Black Nightshade. I’ll have to do some Googling on both these plants. At least I now know where to look.
🙂

Re: What’s this?
The first plant looks like something the older folks call “nastergal” (Afrikaans), night shade in English and scientific name “Solanum nigrum”. The flowers turn into purple berries, very bitter off the plant, but used to make lovely jam. The second one looks rather scary….
Ethne

hi Barbara. I think the first is as you say a Solanum, the common name is deadly night shade and is as the name suggests very posionous. If you wait black berries will form. I suggest you dig it up and discard it. Christina

Thanks Carolyn – yes, it seems unanimous so I’m just going to pull it out if it’s poisonous.

We have been quiet, not intended. 🙁 Both of us had our bouts of flu and sinusitis and then the work was piling up. Now back on track!

Comments are closed.