Horsenettle – Solanum carolinense - Plant & Pest Diagnostics

The photo is of a small horsenettle plant growing in the field. It has green, alternate, egg-shaped, lobed leaves.

Horsenettle – Solanum carolinense

Solanum carolinense L.

Solanaceae (Nightshade family)

MI Status

Non-native

Life cycle

Spreading to erect, patch-forming perennial.

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.

Stems

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

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 inches 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.

The photo is of a field shot of horsenettle. The plants are flowering with white to pale purple flowers. — Field shot of horsenettle

The photo is of horsenettle fruit. They are yellow globe shaped berries. — Horsenettle fruit

The photo is of a horsenettle leaf. It is egg-shaped and shallow to deeply lobed. There are prominent prickles on the leaf veins, midveins, and petioles. — Horsenettle leaf

The photo is of the spines on a horsenettle plant. They are on the leaf veins, midveins, and petioles. — Horsenettle spines

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Plant & Pest Diagnostics