Attractive, psychoactive, dangerous. Found in scrub and woodland, the deadly nightshade lives up to its name. Though highly poisonous, it feeds woodland animals and even has medicinal properties.
Common name: deadly nightshade
Scientific name: Atropa belladonna
Family: Solanaceae
Origin: native
Flowering season: June to September
Habitat: woodland, scrub, path edges
Deadly nightshade is a perennial plant with long, thin branches.
Leaves: oval-shaped, untoothed with smooth edges and pointed ends. They grow on stalks in an alternate pattern and are poisonous.
Flowers: bell-shaped with purple and green colouration, around 2.5–3cm in length.
Fruit: shiny black berries with five sepals visible where the fruit attaches to the plant. The berries are also highly poisonous.
Not to be confused with: bittersweet, known as woody nightshade, which has the same colour flowers as deadly nightshade. However, the flowers of bittersweet have noticeable yellow anthers and are suspended from purple stems. The berries are red instead of black, though both are poisonous.
Deadly nightshade has a long and violent history; it’s thought to have been used by the original Macbeth to poison Duncan’s troops.
Look in scrubby areas and woodland, but also along paths and banks. Find it mainly in the southern half of Britain on calcareous (chalky) soil and in areas where soil has been disturbed. Where the plant is occasionally found further north, it's likely a remnant from populations planted for medicinal use in days gone by.
Credit: WILDLIFE Gmbh / Alamy Stock Photo
Some birds can eat the berries of deadly nightshade although they are more likely to take fruits from other plant species. The berries are also poisonous to various mammals, but eaten by rabbits and even cows!
Deadly nightshade was said to be the property of the Devil, meaning that anyone who eats the berries is punished for eating his fruit. In art and poetry, it represents danger and betrayal.
Credit: Picture Partners / Alamy Stock Photo
Medicines made from the plant are said to ease abdominal problems and motion sickness. It is also used by eye surgeons – in a very refined state – as it dilates the pupils.
Belladonna means ‘beautiful woman’ as it was used by Renaissance women to dilate their pupils. Atropa is in reference to Atropos, one of the Three Fates in Greek mythology who snipped the string of a person’s life and decided their death.
Helen Keating • 01 Jul 2020
A quick guide to five of the most poisonous plants you may encounter on a countryside walk in the UK. Learn how to recognise them and get fascinating facts on their toxicity.
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