Bittersweet Nightshade

Order: Solanales

Family: Solanaceae

Genus: Solanum

Species: S. dulcamara

Identifying Characteristics:

- is a species of vine in the potato genusSolanum, family Solanaceae

- Bittersweet is a semi-woodyherbaceous perennial vine, which scrambles over other plants, capable of reaching a height of 4 m where suitable support is available, but more often 1–2 meters high.

- leaves: are 4–12 cm long, roughly arrowhead-shaped, and often lobed at the base

- Flowers: are in loose clusters of 3–20, 1–1.5 cm across, star-shaped, with five purple petals and yellow stamens and style pointing forward.

- fruit: is an ovoid red berry about 1 cm long, soft and juicy, but edible for birds, which disperse the seeds widely

Special Adaptations:

- It is native to Europe and Asia, and widely naturalised elsewhere, including North America, where it is aninvasive problem weed. It occurs in a very wide range of habitats, from woodlands to scrubland, hedges andmarshes. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes

- Bittersweet is used in naturopathy and herbalism. Its main usage is for conditions that have an impact on the skin, mucous membraneand the membrane (synovial membrane) around the joints. Bittersweet is considered by some to be a herbal remedy for treating herpes and allergies.

- Spreads to new locations by birds eating the ripe berries and by fragments of stem and root moving in soil or water

- Moves out from a parent plant by way of suckering roots, prostrate stems rooting at nodes, and by growing up and over vegetation or structures like fences and buildings