Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia

Solanum americanum

Solanum americanum Mill.

American Black Nightshade

Solanaceae (Potato Family)

Synonym(s): Solanum americanum var. nodiflorum, Solanum americanum var. patulum, Solanum caribaeum, Solanum fistulosum, Solanum hermannii, Solanum linnaeanum, Solanum nigrum var. americanum, Solanum nigrum var. virginicum, Solanum nodiflorum, Solanum sodomeum

USDA Symbol: soam

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), HI (N?), PR (N), VI (N), CAN (I)

A smooth plant with few-flowered lateral clusters (umbels) of small, white, star-like, drooping flowers.

This native species often appears in open ground. Other similar species with small white flowers include Cut-leaved Nightshade (S. triflorum), with deeply dissected leaves, that occurs in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and westward, and Hairy Nightshade (S. villosum), with very hairy stems and yellow or red berries.

From the Image Gallery

6 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Subshrub
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Berry

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Yellow , Green
Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov

Distribution

USA: AL , AZ , CA , FL , GA , HI , LA , MS , NM , NV , OR , TX , WA
Native Distribution: New England south to northern Florida; west to eastern Texas; north to North Dakota.
Native Habitat: Cultivated and disturbed areas, open woods.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU		FACU	FAC	FACU	FACU	FACU	FACU		FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Solanum americanum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Solanum americanum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Solanum americanum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2007-01-01
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back