Scientific Name:
Solanum dulcamara
Pronunciation:
so-LAN-num dool-kah-MAH-rah
Common Name:
deadly nightshade, European bittersweet
Family Name:
Solanaceae
Plant Type:
Vine - deciduous, Weed (horticultural)
Key ID Features:
Climbing weed; leaves alternate, ternate, leaflets ovate-deltoid, most blades 5-10cm long x 4-9cm wide, base hastate, smell like peanut butter when crushed; cyme of 3-20 drooping florets 1-1.5cm wide, 5 fused purple (rarely white or blue) petals that curl back at tips, stamens yellow; berries ovate, 7-9mm long x 6-7mm wide, in pendulous clusters, bright red when ripe.
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Climbing
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
2 - 3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Europe, South Asia / India
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Perennial border, Summer interest (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Deltoid, Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Hastate
Margins:
Pinnately lobed, Sinuate
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow, Blue, Violet
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Berry (true)
Fruit Colour:
Red
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Poisonous
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Brown
Propagation:
Seed, Greenwood cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Mold, Thrips, Virus
