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Download Horse netttle Solanum carolinense
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HORSE NETTLE Most of our noxious weed species are non-native. However, there are a few weed species that are native. One of them is the Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense L.). The Horse Nettle is a member of the Order Solanales, the Family Solanaceae, the Subfamily Solanoideae, and the Tribe Solaneae. This genus is one of the largest genera in the world. This plant is also not a true Nettle. The generic name, Solanum, is from the Latin word, solanem, which is “quiet down” and which refers to its sedative properties upon the nervous system. The specific epithet, carolinense, is Latin for “of Carolina”, where it was identified. Other scientific synonyms for this species were Solanum floridanum Rafinesque (or Shuttleworth ex Dunal), S. godfreyi Shinners, and S. pleei Dunal. Other common names for this species are Apple of Sodom, Ball Nettle, Bull Nettle, Carolina Horsenettle, Devil’s Potato, Devil’s Tomato, Irish Plum, Irish Plumb, Nightshade, Poisonous Potato, Radical, Radical Weed, Sand Briar, Sand Brier, Thistle, Thornapple, Tread-Saft, TreadSoftly, and Wild Tomato. DESCRIPTION OF THE HORSE NETTLE Perennial Height: Its height is 1-4 feet. Stem: Its stem is erect; sometimes branched; and has scattered white or yellow, ½ inch long spines or prickles. The older stems are woody and their spines fall off during the winter. Leaves: Its leaves are simple, alternate, and rough. Each leaf is ovate, oblong, or elliptical; about 2-6 inches long; and about ½-2½ inches wide. Its tips are pointed and its bases are tapered. Its margins are 2-10 lobed, coarsely toothed, or wavy. Both its underside midrib and its petioles are also prickled. Flowers: Its flowers are arranged in long, loose, lateral, racemous, terminal clusters. Each flower is about ¾-1¼ inch wide, white to violet, and is radially symmetrical and star-shaped. Its corolla has 5 triangular petals, its calyx has 5 united hairy and papery sepals that wrap around the fruit, its 5 stamens have bright yellow elongated anthers that unite at the tip to form a central cone, and it has 1 pistil. All parts are attached to the base of the ovary. These flowers are unscented and are pollinated by Bumblebees (Genus Bombus). Flowering season is April to October. Fruit: Its fruit is a small, rounded, smooth, yellow-orange berry. The immature berry is dark green with light green stripes. The older berry is wrinkled. Each berry is about ½-¾ inch in diameter. The berry is 2-chambered and may contain about 40-170 seeds. Northern Bobwhite Quails (Colinus virginianus L.), Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo L.), Rodents (Order Rodentia), and Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis Schreber) eat these fruits and scatter the seeds. These berries persist upon the plant throughout the winter. Fruiting season is August to September. Seeds: Its seeds are oval, flattened, smooth, and glossy orange to yellow. These seeds can remain viable through an animal’s digestive system. One plant can produce up to 5000 seeds. Roots: Its roots have deep taproots that go as deep as 10 feet and spreading fleshy rhizomes that extend up to 3 feet. This plant spreads by rhizomes. Habitat: Its habitats consist of old fields, grasslands, farmlands, cultivated areas, roadsides, waste areas, and degraded prairies. Its soil is sandy or gravelly. Range: Its range is primarily the southeastern U.S. It does extend up to southern New England, the lower Great Lakes, lower Canada, and as far west as Texas and the Great Plains. Uses of the Horse Nettle: The Horse Nettle had some medicinal uses. Both the Native Americans and the early European settlers used this plant. A leaf tea was used as a gargle for sore throats. A wilted leaf poultice was used for Poison Ivy rashes. A leaf infusion was used to expel worms. The berries were used for treating epilepsy. They were also used as a diuretic, a painkiller, an antispasmodic, and an aphrodisiac. The berry juice was used for treating tetanus. The roots were used as a sedative. This plant also treated asthma and bronchitis. The plant was listed in the National Formulary (1916-1936). Toxicity: Horse Nettles are toxic plants, even when they are dead. They contain the glycoalkaloids solamine, solanidone, and solanine. Consuming this toxin can cause severe gastrointestinal troubles and even death. The toxic berries have been fatal to children. This plant is also avoided by livestock. Nuisance: Horse nettles are considered a nuisance weed in both gardens and croplands. They can be resistant to some herbicides, such as 2,4-D and Glypohosate. Because of its deep root system, this plant is difficult to eradicate. Because of their spines, gloves should be worn when pulling them. REFERENCES NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION FIELD GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS OF NORTH AMERICA By David M. Brandenburg WEEDS AND WILDFLOWERS IN WINTER By Lauren Brown WILDFLOWERS IN THE FIELD AND FOREST By Steven Clements and Carol Gracie THE HISTORY AND FOLKLORE OF NORTH AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS By Timothy Coffey COMMON FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE NORTHEAST By Donald D. Cox MISSOURI WILDFLOWERS By Edgar Denison EDIBLE WILD PLANTS By Thomas S. Elias and Peter A. Dykeman PETERSON FIELD GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS AND HERBS By Steven Foster and James A. Duke WILDFLOWERS OF OHIO By Robert L. Henn MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE HEARTLAND By Connie Kaye and Neil Billington A FIELD GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS By Arnold and Connie Krochmal ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS By Don Kurz A GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS IN WINTER By Carol Levine and Dick Rauh EASTERN NORTH AMERICA’S WILDFLOWERS By Louis C. Linn NATIVE AMERICAN MEDICINAL PLANTS By Daniel E. Moerman POISONOUS PLANTS OF THE UNITED STATES By Walter Conrad Muenscher NEWCOMB’S WILDFLOWER GUIDE By Lawrence Newcomb and Gordon Morrison WILDFLOWERS By Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny DANGEROUS PLANTS By John Tampion NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS (EASTERN REGION) By John W. Thieret, William A. Niering, and Nancy C. Olmstead WEEDS OF THE NORTHEAST By Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal, and Richard M. DiTomaso LIFE AND LORE OF ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS By William E. Werner, Jr. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_carolinense www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/hrs_nettlex.htm