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Solanaceae FAMILY

Solanum carolinense

Solanum carolinense

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant are potentially poisonous[1]. Fatalities have been reported with children[1]. The fruits contain solanine alkaloids. Ingestion can cause nausea, vomiting, salivation, drowsiness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weakness, respiratory depression; in larger doses it may be fatal[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Solanum carolinense is a very cold-hardy plant, being able to tolerate temperatures down to around -35°c when fully dormant[3]. The plant succeeds in a wide range of soil types, but thrives best in sandy or gravelly soils. The plant grows rapidly during hot weather and also tolerates drought[4].

Propagation

Seed - when freshly harvested the seeds are highly dormant, and alternating temperatures from 20 - 30°c increase germination rates. The seeds require temperatures above 15°c to germinate. Light is not necessary for germination, but may be involved in breaking dormancy. The seedlings can emerge from depths of 10cm in the soil and can retain their viability for at least 3 years when buried at depths of 8 - 12cm[4]. Sow stored seed early spring in a warm greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts. The plant can be increased very easily with root cuttings or divisions - even small sections root readily[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Solanum+carolinense>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. — Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. · Houghton Mifflin Co. · 1990 · ISBN 0395467225 ↩︎A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
  2. [2]Poisonous Plants of North Carolina — http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm ↩︎An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Invasive Species Compendium — http://www.cabi.org ↩︎An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
  5. [5]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  6. [6]An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada — Britton. N. L. Brown. A. · Dover Publications. New York. · 1970 · ISBN 0-486-22642-5 ↩︎Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
  7. [7]The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. — Coffey. T. · Facts on File. · 1993 · ISBN 0-8160-2624-6 ↩︎A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
  8. [8]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.