Nightshades (black nightshade, bittersweet, horsenettle)
Solanum spp.
- Plant type
- forb; vine
- Settings
- Disturbed ground
- Risk
- Moderate risk Our rating from the cited sources.
- Review
- Not yet reviewed by a veterinarian.
Photos
Planned.
How to tell it
Small tomato-like fruits, yellow, red or black when ripe, in clusters on a stalk between the leaves; fence rows and waste areas (Merck).
Look-alikes: Planned.
What to do on a site walk
- Remove patches along fence lines.
- Limit time.
Why it matters
- Toxic principle
- Glycoalkaloids (solanine); nitrate
- Toxic parts
- Leaves, shoots, unripe berries
- Basis for our rating
- Chewgrass rating. Cornell lists goats; ARS lists nightshade among nitrate accumulators.
Signs in goats
Drooling, gut upset, trembling, weakness, labored breathing (Cornell, Merck).
If you think an animal has been poisoned, call your vet right away.
Season
Unripe berries carry the toxin; Merck marks fall and winter as the dangerous season; nitrate rises after drought or frost (Merck, ARS).
Sources
Links last checked: 2026-10-31