Glossy nightshade

Solanum americanum

Family: Solanaceae Genus: Solanum Species: americanum

Synonyms: Solanum pauciflorum, Solanum calvum, Solanum umbelliferum, Solanum nigrum var. nodiflorum, Solanum papilionaceum, Solanum microspermum, Solanum nigrum var. aguaraquiya, Solanum nodiflorum var. sapucayense, Solanum pachystylum, Solanum pterocaulum, Solanum oleraceum, Solanum curtipes, Solanum sciaphilum, Solanum photeinocarpum var. violaceum, Solanum americanum var. nodiflorum, Solanum nigrum subsp. nodiflorum, Solanum americanum subsp. nutans, Solanum ptychanthum, Solanum sancti-thomae, Solanum rumphii, Solanum desvauxii, Solanum nigrum var. violaceum, Solanum americanum var. odishense, Solanum minutibaccatum, Solanum nigrum var. heterogonum, Solanum nigrum f. grandifolium, Solanum nigrum f. rumphii, Solanum nodiflorum var. petiolastrum, Solanum pterocaulum var. aguaraquiya, Solanum nodiflorum var. sativum, Solanum inops, Solanum erythrocarpon, Solanum imerinense, Solanum amarantoides, Solanum pterocaulum var. heterogonum, Solanum nodiflorum subsp. nutans, Solanum dillenii, Solanum suffruticosum var. merrillianum, Solanum nigrum var. oleraceum, Solanum indecorum, Solanum americanum var. patulum, Solanum nigrum subsp. dillenii, Solanum americanum subsp. nodiflorum, Solanum inconspicuum, Solanum merrillianum, Solanum nigrum var. angulosum, Solanum nigrum var. minus, Solanum minutibaccatum subsp. curtipedunculatum, Solanum strictum, Solanum nigrum var. patulum, Solanum nigrum f. parvifolium, Solanum nigrum f. uniflorum, Solanum nigrum var. americanum, Solanum nigrum f. nodiflorum, Solanum nigrum var. pauciflorum, Solanum nodiflorum var. macrophyllum, Solanum photeinocarpum, Solanum nigrum subsp. aguaraquiya, Solanum tenuiflorum, Solanum quadrangulare, Solanum depilatum, Solanum tenellum, Solanum asperum, Solanum patulum, Solanum nodiflorum var. acuminatum, Solanum nodiflorum

Glossy nightshade (en)

Western Herbalism Properties

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analgesicanti-inflammatorysedative

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Botanical Description

Solanum americanum, the glossy nightshade or American black nightshade, is an erect to spreading annual or short-lived perennial herb in the family Solanaceae native to the Americas and now widespread as a weedy plant across tropical and warm-temperate regions worldwide. Plants reach 30-100 cm in height, with slender branching stems that are angled, ridged, and clothed in sparse fine appressed hairs and sometimes tiny conical projections. Leaves are alternate, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 4-10 cm long and 2-6 cm wide, with shallowly toothed or somewhat sinuate margins, an acute tip, and a tapering or asymmetric base; surfaces are glabrate to thinly hairy. The inflorescence is a small umbel-like cyme of 3-10 flowers borne on a short peduncle 1-2 cm long arising between the nodes. Flowers are 5-10 mm across, with five white reflexed petals that are united at the base, and a prominent central cone of five bright yellow anthers. Flowering occurs throughout the warm season. Fruits are small glossy purple-black globose berries 6-10 mm in diameter, juicy and shiny, borne in pendulous clusters. Ripe berries are edible in many populations but the leaves, unripe fruit, and some chemotypes contain steroidal alkaloids (solanine) and require caution.

Native Region: Alabama, Alberta, Argentina Northeast, Arizona, Arkansas, Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, British Columbia, California, Cayman Is., Chile Central, Chile North, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Costa Rica, Cuba, Delaware, District of Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Florida, French Guiana, Galápagos, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jamaica, Kansas, Kentucky, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Masachusettes, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Netherlands Antilles, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, Nicaragua, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Prince Edward I., Puerto Rico, Québec, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Carolina, South Dakota, Suriname, Tennessee, Texas, Trinidad-Tobago, Turks-Caicos Is., Uruguay, Utah, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Windward Is., Wisconsin, Wyoming

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

Solanum americanum has extensive use throughout the American tropics in mestizo, Afro-Caribbean, and indigenous folk medicine. Leaf decoctions and poultices are applied externally for skin inflammations, eczema, ringworm, burns, and as a cooling wash for sunburn and rashes, while internal infusions of the leaves and whole plant are taken cautiously for fever, ulcers of the mouth and stomach, and as a mild sedative (Morton, 1981; Quattrocchi, 2012). Maya healers in Yucatan and lowland Guatemala (where the plant is called hierba mora or macuy) use young leaves both as a cooked green vegetable (macuy quelite) and as a remedy for sleeplessness and nervous complaints (Arvigo & Balick, Rainforest Remedies, 1993). Cooked leaves are widely eaten in tropical African and Latin American cuisines as a leafy green. Caution: the unripe berries and some chemotypes are toxic due to solanine alkaloids.

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

268771

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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