Horsenettle

August 27, 2015

Solanum carolinense L

Life cycle

Spreading to erect, patch-forming perennial.

horsenettle plant
Horsenettle plant.

Leaves

Alternate, egg-shaped, shallowly to deeply lobed, 2 to 5 inches long with sharp, prominent prickles on the leaf veins, midveins and petioles. Star-shaped hairs are present on both leaf surfaces. 

horsenettle leaf
Horsenettle leaf.

Stems

Spreading to erect, herbaceous stems with multiple branching, up to 3 feet in height. Stems have sharp, prominent prickles and star-shaped hairs. 

horsenettle spines
Sharp, prominent prickles or horsenettle.

Flowers and fruit

Flowers are white to pale purple, star-shaped with five petals fused at the base and found in clusters on prickly flowering stalks. Flower centers consist of bright yellow, cone-shaped anthers. Berries are yellow at maturity, globe-shaped, wrinkled and approximately 0.5 inch across, and contain up to 170 seeds.

Reproduction

Seeds and deeply penetrating vertical to horizontal creeping roots. 

Toxicity

All plant parts are toxic to animals.

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