White-edged nightshade

A perennial shrub less than five metres tall with prickly stems and leaves. White-edged nightshade is poisonous and forms dense thickets.

Description

• The stems are prickly and the leaves are around 25x18cm, broadly ovate and prickly, with chalky-white undersides and upper surface edges.
• Flowers are small and white, with mauve veins.
• Fruits are tomato-like and ripen from green to yellow.
• Seeds dispersed by water, possibly birds and mammals.
• Habitats include pastures, poor soils, forest margins, gullies, roadsides, wastelands, sand dunes, scrub, and plantations.

What you need to know

Forms dense thickets and reduces pasture and plantation productivity. Poisonous and has sharp spines.

Poison advice

The fruit is poisonous to humans and livestock. If you think someone has ingested white-edged nightshade, contact your local poison information centre on 0800 POISON (0800 764 766) or your local vet.

Fine hairs are released as dust when the plant is disturbed causing irritation to the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. Wear protective clothing and masks if working near white-edged nightshade plants.

Management approach

This is a declared pest managed under the Canterbury Regional Management Plan 2018 – 2038 (PDF file, 10.6MB) within a site-led programme.

Site led

Exclude, eradicate, contain, reduce or control a pest within a specific place to the extent that doing so protects the values of that place.

The community should make us aware of any white-edged nightshade plants in Waitaha/Canterbury. We will work with affected landowners to undertake control of white-edged nightshade.

White-edged nightshade is also declared an unwanted organism by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) because it is capable of causing harm to the natural environment, physical resources or human health in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

These species pose a high risk to our environment, economy, recreation, and cultural values.

Rules

Any species declared a pest cannot be sold or be in a place where plants are being sold. Pest plants cannot be propagated, bred, multiplied, communicated, released, caused to be released, or otherwise spread.

Control

Do not attempt to undertake control of white-edged nightshade. Please report any sightings to us.