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| Jimsonweed or Sacred Datura is a type of nightshade species. |
Common garden plants such as tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants are members of the Solanaceae family, also called the nightshades. The term nightshade comes from the Old English nihtscada, which literally means ‘shades of night’. Some species grow in shady areas or bloom or become more fragrant at night. The toxic reputation of this family is due to the fact that some species are poisonous and consuming them can cause deep sleep or death, but this belief was before non-toxic tomatoes and potatoes became known staples in our diet.
Species in this family are characterized by star-shaped flowers with five petals and often yellow centers, alternate leaves with pointed tips and wavy margins, and fruits or berries containing alkaloids. These alkaloids vary by species, and are beneficial in some but toxic in others. In our area, some of the more common native nightshades include Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium), Downy Groundcherry (Physalis pubescens), Jimsonweed (Datura wrightii), and Chile Pequin (Capsicum annuum).
Silverleaf Nightshade, also called White Horse Nettle, Trompillo, and Tomato Weed, is one of the poisonous species. It grows 1 to 3 feet tall, with silvery hairs covering its leaves, and violet-purple or white ¾ inch blooms. Its yellow fruits resemble small tomatoes and stay on the plant for months, often into winter. This nightshade blooms from April to October and can be found in prairies, plains, pastures, and roadsides. Its genus name comes from the Latin solamen meaning ‘quieting’, and alludes to the narcotic properties of several species.
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| Silverleaf Nightshade |
Downy Groundcherry, also called Husk Tomato, grows to about 1 foot tall, with deltoid leaves and stems covered in fine hairs, inflated, papery, lantern-like husks that cover the round green fruits, and yellow flowers with 5 greenish/brown spots at the base of the petals. It blooms from April to December and can be found on rocky ground throughout our area. Its fruits can be edible but only when fully ripe.
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| Downy Groundcherry |
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| Downy Groundcherry fruit is covered in a lantern-like husk. |
Jimsonweed is also known as Sacred Datura, Thorn-apple, and Angel Trumpet. Often found on floodplains, it grows to 6 feet tall, stout and branching, and is covered in spreading hairs. Its leaves are up to 8 inches long and are mostly egg-shaped with an asymmetric base, its flowers are large, white, fragrant, trumpet-shaped blooms, and its fruits are 1.5-inch, round, spiny capsules. The flowers bloom in the evening through the morning, from April to October, and it is a host plant for the Carolina Sphinx moth. Extracts from this plant are narcotic and potentially lethal if ingested. It was once important in the religious ceremonies of southwestern native peoples.
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| Jimsonweed Bloom |
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| Jimsonweed Spiny Seed Capsule |
Also called Chile Tepin and Bird Pepper, Chile Pequin is an edible nightshade that grows to 2 feet tall, with simple, alternate leaves, tiny white blooms, and small green fruits that turn red when ripe. These fruits are edible but on the hotter side, and are favored by many species of birds. It blooms from May to October and can be found in thickets and along rivers in well-drained soil.
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| Chile Pequin |
Consider adding some of these shades of night in your garden. They are beneficial for wildlife as their flowers attract pollinators, their leaves provide food for caterpillars, and their mature fruits are consumed by birds and small mammals alike.
