Solanum dulcamara

Read about Solanum dulcamara in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Solanum dulcamara, Linn. Bitter-sweet. Fig. 3634. A more or less pubescent or sometimes glabrous shrubby climber with st. 4-6 ft. long: lvs. entire or sometimes 3-5-parted, 1-3 in. long, the entire ones cordate, ovate-cordate, or the upper ones hastate: fls. many, drooping, in panicled corymbs opposite the lvs.; corolla white or violet, 1/2 in. diam., the lobes reflexed, each segm. furnished with 2 greenish spots near the base: fr. ovoid, 1/2 in. diam., red or rarely yellowish green. Naturalized from Eu. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Bittersweet
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Genus: Solanum Species: S. dulcamara
Binomial name
Solanum dulcamara L.

Solanum dulcamara (Bittersweet, Bitter Nightshade, Blue Bindweed, Climbing Nightshade, Fellenwort, Felonwood, Poisonberry, Poisonflower, Scarlet Berry, Snakeberry, Trailing Bittersweet, Trailing Nightshade, Violet Bloom or, Woody Nightshade) is a species of vine in the potato genus Solanum, family Solanaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere, including North America, where it is an invasive problem weed. It occurs in a very wide range of habitats, from woodlands to scrubland, hedges and marshes.

Plant

Bittersweet is a semi-woody herbaceous perennial vine, which scrambles over other plants, capable of reaching a height of 4 m where suitable support is available, but more often 1-2 m high. The leaves are 4-12 cm long, roughly arrowhead-shaped, and often lobed at the base. The flowers are in loose clusters of 3-20, (1-1.5 cm) across, star-shaped, with five purple petals and yellow stamens and style pointing forward. The fruit is an ovoid red berry about 1 cm long, soft and juicy, poisonous to humans and livestock but edible for birds, which disperse the seeds widely. As with most Solanum species, the foliage is also poisonous to humans.

Bittersweet is used in homeopathic medicine and herbalism. Its main usage is for conditions that have an impact on the skin, mucous membrane and the membrane (synovial membrane) around the joints. Bittersweet is considered to be an important remedy for treating herpes infections and allergies.

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The name bittersweet is also confusingly used in some areas for some species in the genus Celastrus (the Staff vines, family Celastraceae), e.g. American bittersweet (C. scandens) and Oriental bittersweet (C. orbiculatus).

Other common names include Trailing Nightshade, Bittersweet, Trailing Bittersweet, Climbing Nightshade, Blue Bindweed, Bitter Nightshade, Fellenwort, Dogwood, Woody Nightshade, Poisonflower, Poisonberry, Snakeberry, and Scarlet Berry.

References

• Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. 

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  Leaves

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  Flowers

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  Flowers and unripe berries

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  Fruits