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Old 03-11-2002, 01:11 PM
paul
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

I've found a plant that is very small and has flowers that are basically
miniature potatoe flowers, white on outside and orange/yellow in middle

It porduces berries that look like miniature tomatoes (about the size of
rowan berries) but turn dark purple/black

The leaveas are not unlike potatoes/tomatoes but the plant grows not more
than about 6inches hight

Anyone know what it is and is it poisonous?


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Old 03-11-2002, 04:39 PM
William Tasso
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

"paul" wrote:
I've found a plant that is very small and has flowers that are basically
miniature potatoe flowers, white on outside and orange/yellow in middle

It porduces berries that look like miniature tomatoes (about the size of
rowan berries) but turn dark purple/black

The leaveas are not unlike potatoes/tomatoes but the plant grows not more
than about 6inches hight

Anyone know what it is and is it poisonous?



You say potato
and I say tomato .... let's call the whole thing ... ?
--
William Tasso - The road to hell is littered with fallen webmasters.
http://www.tbdata.com/


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Old 03-11-2002, 05:12 PM
Zizz
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries


"William Tasso" wrote in message
...
"paul" wrote:
I've found a plant that is very small and has flowers that are basically
miniature potatoe flowers, white on outside and orange/yellow in middle

It porduces berries that look like miniature tomatoes (about the size of
rowan berries) but turn dark purple/black

The leaveas are not unlike potatoes/tomatoes but the plant grows not

more
than about 6inches hight

Anyone know what it is and is it poisonous?



You say potato
and I say tomato .... let's call the whole thing ... ?
--
William Tasso - The road to hell is littered with fallen webmasters.
http://www.tbdata.com/


Potmato or Tompato ??
L


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Old 03-11-2002, 05:13 PM
Stewart Robert Hinsley
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article , paul
writes
I've found a plant that is very small and has flowers that are basically
miniature potatoe flowers, white on outside and orange/yellow in middle

It porduces berries that look like miniature tomatoes (about the size of
rowan berries) but turn dark purple/black

The leaveas are not unlike potatoes/tomatoes but the plant grows not more
than about 6inches hight

Anyone know what it is and is it poisonous?


Perhaps Black Nightshade, _Solanum nigrum_. All parts are poisonous,
potentially lethally so, especially the berries.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley
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Old 03-11-2002, 05:37 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article ,
William Tasso wrote:
"paul" wrote:
I've found a plant that is very small and has flowers that are basically
miniature potatoe flowers, white on outside and orange/yellow in middle

It porduces berries that look like miniature tomatoes (about the size of
rowan berries) but turn dark purple/black

The leaveas are not unlike potatoes/tomatoes but the plant grows not more
than about 6inches hight

Anyone know what it is and is it poisonous?


You say potato
and I say tomato .... let's call the whole thing ... ?


And I say black nightshade :-)

Apparently, in New Zealand, they make jam from black nightshade.
As I have no good evidence that it is the same species, and the
Solanaceae's berries vary from the edible to the lethal, I am
not going to experiment. I am happy to take risks, of the sort
where I will merely regret my actions for a day or so, but this
is a different class of risk. If you eat a kilo of green tomatoes,
you may get bellyache; if you eat 100 grams of potato fruit, that
would be the least (and last) of your problems.

If anyone has DEFINITE and RELIABLE evidence that Solanum nigrum
has edible berries, I should be interested to hear.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679


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Old 03-11-2002, 05:59 PM
Kay Easton
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article , paul
writes
I've found a plant that is very small and has flowers that are basically
miniature potatoe flowers, white on outside and orange/yellow in middle

It porduces berries that look like miniature tomatoes (about the size of
rowan berries) but turn dark purple/black

The leaveas are not unlike potatoes/tomatoes but the plant grows not more
than about 6inches hight

Anyone know what it is and is it poisonous?


Could be black nightshade - a relative of potato and tomato (and also of
belladonna, deadly nightshade, thornapple, sweet pepper and aubergine)

Mots of the plant is poisonous, the berries may not be, but I wouldn't
experiment with any member of that family.

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/
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Old 03-11-2002, 06:02 PM
Kay Easton
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes


And I say black nightshade :-)

Apparently, in New Zealand, they make jam from black nightshade.
As I have no good evidence that it is the same species, and the
Solanaceae's berries vary from the edible to the lethal, I am
not going to experiment. I am happy to take risks, of the sort
where I will merely regret my actions for a day or so, but this
is a different class of risk. If you eat a kilo of green tomatoes,
you may get bellyache; if you eat 100 grams of potato fruit, that
would be the least (and last) of your problems.

If anyone has DEFINITE and RELIABLE evidence that Solanum nigrum
has edible berries, I should be interested to hear.

Not evidence, but a reference:

George Usher 'A dictionary of plants used by Man' "The fruits
(woderberries) are eaten in pies etc. The shoots and leaves are used as
a vegetable" Blimey!
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/
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Old 03-11-2002, 06:57 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article ,
Kay Easton wrote:

If anyone has DEFINITE and RELIABLE evidence that Solanum nigrum
has edible berries, I should be interested to hear.

Not evidence, but a reference:

George Usher 'A dictionary of plants used by Man' "The fruits
(woderberries) are eaten in pies etc. The shoots and leaves are used as
a vegetable" Blimey!


It sounds odd, for a Solanum, but could be true. However, I suspect
that there is more than one plant called black nightshade, and that
not all such will be edible.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679
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Old 03-11-2002, 07:28 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries


A quick Web search indicates that the situation may be that the ripe
berries are edible if cooked, but that the unripe or raw berries
are poisonous. And I saw a reiteration of the use as a vegetable,
but I also saw other statements that all parts are poisonous.

Frankly, I don't trust any of it. Some of it HAS to be wrong, and
I have no idea which sources are just copying from each other. My
guess is that the New Zealand claims of edibility are correct, but
I am less certain that they refer to S. nigrum, or that the Maoris
really did eat the shoots and leaves. And a lot of the claims of
universal toxicity are in documents that look like typical UK/USA
hysteria - and, yes, our supposed 'experts' are among the worst
perpetrators of THAT (and I don't JUST mean RoSPA!)

I keep meaning to try fat hen seeds and acorns, have made mallow soup,
have tried blackberry shoots to see whether a remark in a novel was
correct (it wasn't) and so on, but the Solanaceae make me nervous.
I know that several other posters hold similar views :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679
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Old 03-11-2002, 09:19 PM
Alan Gould
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

If anyone has DEFINITE and RELIABLE evidence that Solanum nigrum
has edible berries, I should be interested to hear.

John Akeroyd, writing in his Encyclopedia of Wild Flowers, says of Black
Nightshade - Solanum nigrum:

"NOTE THAT THE berries, ripening from green to black in late summer to
early autumn, are poisonous, like those of its cultivated relative, the
potato, with which it often grows. The leaves, too, contain variable
amounts of poisonous substances, but in Southern Europe they can be seen
being sold, cooked and eaten as a green vegetable similar to spinach.

Other annual nightshades, mostly introduced from South America and all
poisonous, with black, red or green berries, turn up from time to time
as weeds of cultivated or waste ground. The most widespread of them is
Leafy-fruited Nightshade (Solanum sarrachoides) which has green or black
berries partially covered by a swollen, persistent calyx."

J.A. also states that the black berries of Woody Nightshade (Solanum
dulcamara) are poisonous, as are the black berries of Deadly Nightshade
(Atropa belladonna), though they have a long history of medicinal use.

The moral is don't eat wild or cultivated red or black berries unless
their edibility has been ascertained.
--
Alan & Joan Gould, North Lincs.


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Old 04-11-2002, 12:33 AM
Hussein M.
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

On Sun, 3 Nov 2002 20:19:02 +0000, Alan Gould
wrote:

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

If anyone has DEFINITE and RELIABLE evidence that Solanum nigrum
has edible berries, I should be interested to hear.

John Akeroyd, writing in his Encyclopedia of Wild Flowers, says of Black
Nightshade - Solanum nigrum:


And further from the PFAF database:

for Solanum nigra:

Edible Uses:

Fruit - cooked[2, 27, 89, 179]. Used in preserves, jams and pies[183].
A pleasant musky taste[85]. Somewhat like a tomato, but much less
pleasant, it improves slightly after a frost[K]. Only the fully ripe
fruits should be used, the unripe fruits contain the toxin
solanine[65, 173, 183]. The fruit contains about 2.5% protein, 0.6%
fat, 5.6% carbohydrate, 1.2% ash[179]. The fruit is about 9mm in
diameter[200].
Young leaves and new shoots - raw or cooked as a potherb or added to
soups[2, 27, 85, 89, 173, 179, 183]. This plant is cultivated as a
leaf crop in some areas, but see the notes at the top of the page
regarding possible toxicity.

Medicinal:
The whole plant is antiperiodic, antiphlogistic, diaphoretic,
diuretic, emollient, febrifuge, narcotic, purgative and sedative[4,
21, 145, 147, 192, 218]. It is harvested in the autumn when both
flowers and fruit are upon the plant, and is dried for later use[4].
Use with caution[21], see notes above on toxicity.
The leaves, stems and roots are used externally as a poultice, wash
etc in the treatment of cancerous sores, boils, leucoderma and
wounds[218, 257].
Extracts of the plant are analgesic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory
and vasodilator[218]. The plant has been used in the manufacture of
locally analgesic ointments and the juice of the fruit has been used
as an analgesic for toothaches[7].

Known hazards:

There is a lot of disagreement over whether or not the leaves or fruit
of this plant are poisonous. Views vary from relatively poisonous to
perfectly safe to eat. The plant is cultivated as a food crop, both
for its fruit and its leaves, in some parts of the world and it is
probably true to say that toxicity can vary considerably according to
where the plant is grown and the cultivar that is being grown[4, 7,
10, 13, 65, 76]. The unripe fruit contains the highest concentration
of toxins[65].

Other Uses:

This species has been found to be effective in removing PCB's from the
soil and detoxifying them[248]. The plant is more effective in doing
this if it is infected with the bacterial parasite Agrobacterium
tumefaciens[248].

PS All those numbers in square brackets are references to published
journals etc.

I won't eat anything until I know what it is. Having said that there
are loads of plants which you would never suspect of being edible.
Edible being the operative word rather than palatable. Something which
can be prepared as spinach and comes up a very slimey mess is not a
big plus nor. come to think of it are hairy leaves.

Ah and then there's the taste muses the one with not much room and a
Crataegus tanacetifolia being delivered shortly. They are supposed to
have a flavour reminiscent of apples and ahem relatively spineless
to boot.

Happy times

Hussein



"For of all gainful professions, nothing
is better, nothing more pleasing,
nothing more delightful, nothing better
becomes a well-bred man than
agriculture"

$$$$$$ Cicero $$$$$$
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Old 04-11-2002, 01:01 AM
Steve Harris
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article ,
(Kay Easton) wrote:

Solanum nigrum


http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/p...Solanum+nigrum

"There is a lot of disagreement over whether or not the leaves or fruit
of this plant are poisonous. Views vary from relatively poisonous to
perfectly safe to eat. The plant is cultivated as a food crop, both for
its fruit and its leaves, in some parts of the world and it is probably
true to say that toxicity can vary considerably according to where the
plant is grown and the cultivar that is being grown[4, 7, 10, 13, 65,
76]. The unripe fruit contains the highest concentration of toxins[65]."


Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
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Old 04-11-2002, 09:26 AM
Kay Easton
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article , Alan Gould
writes
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

If anyone has DEFINITE and RELIABLE evidence that Solanum nigrum
has edible berries, I should be interested to hear.

John Akeroyd, writing in his Encyclopedia of Wild Flowers, says of Black
Nightshade - Solanum nigrum:


J.A. also states that the black berries of Woody Nightshade (Solanum
dulcamara) are poisonous,


But Solanum dulcamara doesn't have black berries! - it has red ones.

as are the black berries of Deadly Nightshade
(Atropa belladonna), though they have a long history of medicinal use.

The moral is don't eat wild or cultivated red or black berries unless
their edibility has been ascertained.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/
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Old 04-11-2002, 08:18 PM
Alan Gould
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article , Kay Easton
writes
J.A. also states that the black berries of Woody Nightshade (Solanum
dulcamara) are poisonous,


But Solanum dulcamara doesn't have black berries! - it has red ones.

In pedantic fact, neither red nor black, but scarlet. To give the full
quote:- Fruits: A loose cluster of egg-shaped, scarlet, shiny,
translucent berries c.10mm (2/3 in.) long. And ....as with other
nightshades the most attractive berries are poisonous. Be warned!
--
Alan Gould
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Old 04-11-2002, 08:24 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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Default What is plant with miniature potatoe flowers/berries

In article ,
Alan Gould wrote:
In article , Kay Easton
writes
J.A. also states that the black berries of Woody Nightshade (Solanum
dulcamara) are poisonous,


But Solanum dulcamara doesn't have black berries! - it has red ones.

In pedantic fact, neither red nor black, but scarlet. To give the full
quote:- Fruits: A loose cluster of egg-shaped, scarlet, shiny,
translucent berries c.10mm (2/3 in.) long. And ....as with other
nightshades the most attractive berries are poisonous. Be warned!


Er, scarlet IS red! It may be a particular red, but it is assuredly
a red. So Kay Easton's statement was perfectly correct, and I am
afraid your musket of pedantry has just discharged itself into your
foot.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679
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