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Name That Plant!

Mystery Volunteer in my garden

10 years ago

Do you know what this plant is? There are several that have grown around my mint & strawberries this year and now it is producing small berries in little clusters.

I'd like to try the berries but haven't in case they're poisonous. There are probably 6 or 7 of these little volunteers growing in my garden this summer!

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Comments (6)

carol23_gw
10 years ago
A Solanum and possibly Solanum americanum.

Here is a link that might be useful: Solanum americanum
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
extremely poisonous.. in every aspect ..... the leaves.. the roots.. the berries... etc..

if you have kids that stick things in there mouths.. get rid of it ASAP ...

spanish women used to rub some version of it in their eyes.. bella donna ...

ken

ps: and even if you dont have kids.. the birds will plant a million of them for you ... if you do let it go to seed....

pps: part of the potato family.. and it always amazes me.. that all of the potato is also poisonous .. but for the spud.. whats that all about ... who was the first guy.. to work his way down all that poison parts ..... to get to the edible part.. 8 inches underground.. i suspect.. it was a number of dudes in the same family ... and son #4 ended up inheriting..l ol...
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The foliage doesnt look like peonies to me though it very well could be. It does however remind me of sassafras tree seedlings of which the trees are often found in the wild. I live in the midwest and they are very prevalent here. They do have 3 different shaped leaves... one whole one, one with 2 lobes and one with 3 lobes. Maybe some blew into your gardens from nearby woods? See if the photo in the link looks good to you. I'm not good at doing these link things so if the link doesn't work then just copy and paste www.learnnc.org into your browser. Here is a link that might be useful: sassafras seedling foliage
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"Hoovb's" Tiffany guess was inspired! There are a lot of similarities. But I've never had Tiffany in my garden. Also, I don't think this rose is a hybrid tea; it's more floribunda in type. And I think Tiffany has thorns, which this mystery guy does not. However, my mystery rose is still a "juvenile" and developing its adult characteristics. Thanks for the idea. Jallecta
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There are about 4 on one vine and a smaller vine has just one. The one on the smaller vine is turning quite yellow and is only about 6" across. It doesn't look rotten it just looks like the color it is supposed to be. These fruit just doesn't look like any pumpkin I've seen before...and it looks like yellow may be the color of the fruit -what gourds or squash get this big??? I may just sacrifice one to see inside...I have a pet bird so lord only knows what uneaten seed could've got out there...
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Comments (14)
@macranthos, yes there are quite a few river birch in the neighborhood, some within a block. Thanks for pointing that out, I didn't know what kinds of trees those were before your comment. And it probably explains this other volunteer I have (picture below), which seems likely to be Betula nigra. Interestingly it has the same red stem as the smaller seedlings I originally asked about, which look a great deal like the photo you posted. And yes, I also have them all over the place in my back yard and deck container pots.
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saltcedar
10 years ago
The rubbing in eyes bit comes from Atropa belladona and entirely different Genus! Ken needs to do his homework.

A more balanced view.

Here is a link that might be useful: Solanum nigrum complex Solanum nigrum, S. americanum

This post was edited by saltcedar on Sat, Jul 27, 13 at 10:13
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
apparently i am not alone.. your link says:

Sometimes Solanum nigrum is confused for deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna, a different Solanaceae species altogether. A comparison of the fruit shows that the black nightshade berries grow in bunches, the deadly nightshade berries grow individually.

==>> but what about the potato bit.. need i correct that old memory ... long odds on remembering the corrections .. lol...

ken
saltcedar
10 years ago
Several edible plants are very toxic two that come to mind are
Tapioca (used as a thickener in processed foods) and
Cashews. So potatoes aren't unique in that way.
CaraRose
10 years ago
Taro root, eaten raw, I believe, creates the same sensation as swallowing broken glass. Yet it's a staple crop in many places since cooking it removes the toxin.

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