Nightshade Species

Garden Favorites

• Some of the most popular garden food plants are nightshades. The best known is probably the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), are also nightshades, as are eggplant (Solanum melongena) and all peppers (Capsicum spp.), sweet and hot. Some lesser-known edible nightshades are ground cherries (Physalis spp.) and tomatillos (Physallis ixocapra). While most people have no problems with the alkaloids contained in these vegetables, there are some who are especially sensitive and should avoid eating them. Very sensitive people could develop muscle twitches and joint problems.

Deadly Variety

• The most important of the medicinal nightshades is belladonna, also called deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). True to it's name, deadly nightshade is poisonous, and if ingested in large amounts, can kill. In smaller quantities, the alkaloid it contains causes hallucinations, and it was used by the ancient Greeks when visiting an oracle and in the worship of Dionysus. In the middle ages, witches used it to induce a feeling of flying.

Tempting Tobacco

• Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) is another nightshade with a dubious reputation. Unlike deadly nightshade, which is native to the old world, tobacco is native to the new. It was used by the Native Americans in religious and cultural ceremonies. Christopher Columbus brought it to Europe, where it became popular. It was widely chewed, ground into snuff, and eventually rolled into cigars and cigarettes. Nicotine, the main alkaloid in tobacco, is highly addictive, and deadly in large amounts. It is also used as an insecticide.

Just For Looks

• Several nightshade species have been used as ornamental plants in gardens. Bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4b to 8b, was planted extensively in the 1700s and 1800s. It is an attractive vine with bright red and yellow berries that appear in the fall, and has become an invasive plant in parks across the United States. Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata) is a popular annual and is planted to attract butterflies. Ground cherry (Physalis alkekengi), hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9a, grows fruit in an orange paperlike husk. These are not to be confused with edible ground cherries, whose husks are yellow.