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American Black Nightshade
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American Black Nightshade
A Naturalized Photo: Thingnam Rajshree
Common name: American Black Nightshade • Chinese: 少花龙葵 Shao hua long kui • Hindi: चिर्पोटी Chirpoti, Gurkamai, Gurkkamai • Kannada: ಕಾಕಿ Kaaki, ಕಾಚಿ Kaachi, ಬೆಲ್ಲಗಣಿಕೆ Bellaganike, ಗಣಿಕೆ Ganike, ಕಾಗೆಹಣ್ಣಿನ ಗಿಡ Kaagehannina gida, ಕಾಕಮಾಚಿ Kaakamaachi • Malayalam: Manatakkali, Nelen-tsjunda, Karimtakkali • Manipuri: ꯍꯩꯃꯨꯍꯩ Heimuhei • Marathi: Kaamoni, Lalgooka batooli • Sanskrit: Kakamachi, Bahuphala, Bahutikta • Tamil: Kakachi • Telugu: Gajuchettu, Kaachi, Kaakamaachi • Urdu: Ab makoh, ﻣﻜﻮﻩ ﺧﹹﺸﻚ Makoh khushk
Botanical name: Solanum americanum    Family: Solanaceae (Potato family)
Synonyms: Solanum nigrum var. americanum, Solanum nodiflorum, Solanum umbelliferum
American Black Nightshade is an annual or perennial, slightly hairy herb, mostly erect, 1-3 ft tall. Leaves are ovate, 4-8 x 2-4 cm, membranous, becoming hairless or sparsely velvet-hairy, base flat to wedge-shaped, margin entire or distantly sawtoothed , tip pointed. Flowers are borne in 4-10-flowered umbels in leaf-axils. Flowers are stalked, flower-stalk very short, sepal-cup cup-shaped, sepals nearly half fid, ovate, velvet-hairy, fringed with hairs, strongly reflexed in fruit. Flowers are white, rarely bluish or purplish, petals more than half fid, ovate-oblong. Filaments short, anthers conniving. Fruiting flower-stalk is erect or nodding. Berry is shining black, spherical, 5-8 mm in diameter. American Black Nightshade is native to the American continents, widely naturalized in the Tropical World. Leaves are cooked and eaten. In Manipur the leaves are put in a curry made from dry peas (ooti). Flowering: June-December.
Identification credit: Nidhan Singh Photographed in Imphal, Manipur.
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