[Moo] FW: FW: Botanical query

[Martha Wallenhorst]

I seem to have some shoots of Solanum dulcamara ("Bittersweet", or "climbing
nightshade") growing in one of the garden areas near the driveway. I'm not
sure whether to leave it be (and hope that it doesn't attract either
children or pets), or get rid of it.

I gather that it has uses in herbal medicine but is very dangerous in
un-knowledgeable hands.





I would get rid of it, it is a horrid pest weed that will seed itself
everywhere. Some people react to the sap so if you plan to pull it out be
careful. It is the berries that are most poisonous but it shows up growing
in places that you wonder how it got there so the seeds have to be carried
someway, I tend to think birds. Most of the herbal uses for it use the leaf
stem and nothing else. Since children have gotten very sick from eating the
berries, I personally have eradicated it when it has shown up here with
Round-up because I am allergic to the sap. It seems to take more than one
application, like poison ivy it will sprout from roots. Anyway if you leave
the plant it will tend to end up everywhere in your garden, much like black
nightshade but not as easy to eradicate.

Mary 
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