The Horse Nettle—or more formally, Carolina Horsenettle, Solanum carolinense—was first described by Eighteenth Century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus…and perhaps that's where its nomenclature troubles began.
You see, first off it isn't a nettle. Yes, it has nettle-like spines along the leaves and stem—sharp spines that can pierce the skin, break off in your flesh, and cause a nasty little infection. At the least they can jab and poke and irritate your hide. Still, it's not a nettle, but rather a member of the nightshade family.
Okay, so what do we think of first when the word nightshade is mentioned? Poison! You betcha! As in Poison Nightshade, Bitter Nightshade, Belladonna, and a host of similar evil-sounding plants, dark and mysterious, that often figure in the plots of old whodunits. One nibble and the poor soul instantly begins clutching their throat, foaming at the mouth, to quickly keel over twitching and jerking, like a cockroach given a healthy squirt of Raid!
Of course, we forget that tomatoes, potatoes, most sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, and dozens of delicious and "good for you" foods, common on every dinner table, are also members of the nightshade family.
However, I digress. Horse Nettle—which is also written as one word, horsenettle, or hyphenated, horse-nettle, depending on the text—is NOT something you want to nibble, because it is poisonous. This is due to the presence of solanine, a toxic alkaloid. The amount of toxicity depends on the plant's age and the part you eat. Some texts say the small, yellow, tomato-like fruits the plant produces are not poisonous, or are only mildly poisonous. I say mildly poisonous is like mildly dead—both to be avoided. By we humans as well as horses, which therefore offers not a clue why the "horse" reference ended up in the name.
Besides being a nightshade and not a nettle, and having nothing to do with horses, Horse Nettles sport some rather interesting—possibly bizarre—common names…Sand Briar, Radical Weed, Bull Nettle, Wild Tomato, and my three absolute favorites, Tread-Softly, Devil's Tomato, and Apple of Sodom.
Well, I suppose we all have our quirks. And aside from being poison, prickly, misnamed, and possessing a host of funky nicknames, the Horse Nettle boasts a pretty and only slightly weird, little flower. I photographed this one this morning while poking around a nearby field.
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12 comments:
Hi Grizz - thanks for the very informative lesson
lots going on here
love you
me
Enjoyed reading this and had to smile about mildly poisonous and mildly dead - I do agree that both are experiences better avoided:) We have woody nightshade and deadly nightshade growing wild over here. Woody nightshade is a really lovely plant, it has purple flowers with yellow stamens. In autumn it has the most beautiful transluscent scarlet berries that look really tempting but are definitely look but don't touch.
Gail…
Glad to hear from you…but I've been keeping up with your posts and all re. your Mom and know you're busy. I've been there and truly understand—and I pray you have the strength to get through all that's before you. Do what you have to do, but please take time to rest as you can.
I'm busy here, too, but in a good way—well, except that we have to take Moon to the vet this afternoon for a checkup and nail trim, never exactly fun.
Take care now, ya hear?
Rowan…
Your woody nightshade sounds a lot like our bittersweet nightshade, as least the flowers. Quite pretty. I have a lot of it growing beside my steps which lead down to the river.
Whether the yellow, tomato-like little fruits of the horse nettle are deadly poison, is probably not the case, as I know of (and have watched!) several folks who'll eat them…and they're still alive. But the rest of the plant will indeed "kill you dead" as they say, and when accidentally mixed with hay or silage, probably accounts for more livestock deaths than any other plant in the U.S.
I love what I learn from you. I guess human families are much like plant families...some members are healthy for you, some toxic, some colorful... others sweet or sour...
Hope all went well with Moon. When they don't like the vet.... they really don't.
Robin…
Hey, I'd never thought of it in quite those terms, but you're exactly right—plant families and people families are VERY much alike in many character respects. I like that notion, too.
Moon checked out fine for an old dog. She's doing great. And she took most pokes and prods and sticks really well…for a semi-wild dog with lots of attitude—really her best check-up behavior ever. The vet was truly impressed.
Wow, interesting information you provide. I often wondered about eating that fruit, now I'll stop wondering.
Sage…
Nope, I've wondered the same thing, and watched a couple of folks actually eat them. That they're still living is not enough to induce me to give it a try. I've looked, and there's no big red "S" on my chest, nor do I consider Russian roulette a sport.
Grizz, I've also heard horse nettle called "ground cherry," that the fruits are edible, and that they can be made into jam or jelly. I've always wondered why anyone would bother, because the fruits look small, seedy, and anemic.
Scott…
Yes, Ground Cherry is another name which I've heard, too, but forgot to include. There are probably others, used in different regions.
I expect that Horse Nettle fruits (though not the rest of the plant) belong to that group of things which are only mildly poisonous, if that, and can be eaten without real harm. I know firsthand that people eat the things, and I've heard from folks I trust that their family and friends made them into jams and jellies. I also know of people whose folks used Pokeweed berries the same way. I've been offered (and declined!) slices of pokeberry pie, and glasses of pokeberry wine…though not a soul who did partake found the encounter fatal or even mildly nauseating.
On the other hand, I was just reading one of the food writers on , I think, CNN the other day who said that as rhubarb leaves and roots are a deadly poison (poison, yes; deadly? umm, maybe) the stalks are too and should be avoided at all costs. That anyone using them in cooking is taking a foolish risk and that it's just a matter of time before they fatally overdose themselves or others. I can't begin to tell you how many rhubarb pies I've eaten over the years (rhubarb pie being one of my three or four all-time favorite pies), plus strawberry-rhubarb pies. And in growing up, Mom often just had a big bowl of cooked and sweetened rhubarb on the table which we ate "straight," or used as a topping for ice cream. If cooked rhubarb stalks were deadly, half the population would have croaked ages ago.
Some of this "It's poison and will kill you!" stuff is just alarmist rantings and parroting from the foolish, ignorant, and lazy who haven't done their research.
Too, quantity plays a huge role in poisons. If heard it said that everything ingested, including all foods and even water, in great enough amount can kill you. True or not, it's certainly true that a couple of aspirin can ease your pain, while a bottle-full can take your life…and there are plenty of "good" drugs that when overdosed, are deadly.
Finally, I've always eaten all of an apple, including core and seeds. Apple seeds contain cyanogenic acids. Cyanide is a lethal poison. So how come I'm not dead? Because (and I do chew the seeds, because I enjoy their almondy taste) the dose is tiny, very short lived, and easily detoxified. Even if I ate a dozen apples in a row I'd be okay…bloated, foundered, but not dead from cyanide poisoning. However, should I save the seeds from all those apples and chew and eat them as one big mouthful, the outcome might be fatal. There have been people who, not knowing better and liking the taste, have saved their apple seeds as a treat, began eating them by the spoonful, and died on the spot. Quantity.
Re: apple seeds and everything else.
Just keep talking and teaching.
Robin…
No worries there…my mother always claimed I was born talking.
Hope things have slowed down a bit from the spring rush—though maybe your summer business is just as busy. At any rate, hope you're taking care of yourself and having some R&R time. Be good. ;~)
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