# Are nightshade berries poisonous?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-nightshade-berries-poisonous/29419>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 15, 2000, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-nightshade-berries-poisonous/29419 "2000-08-15T12:27:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-nightshade-berries-poisonous/29419/41 "2016-07-05T16:42:11Z")

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This is what it looks like to me. [Solanum nigrum - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_nigrum#/media/File:Solanum_nigrum_flowers.jpg)

No serrated edges to the leaves.

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**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-nightshade-berries-poisonous/29419/42 "2016-07-06T08:45:51Z")

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> [@levdrakon](#):
>
> This is what it looks like to me. [Solanum nigrum - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_nigrum#/media/File:Solanum_nigrum_flowers.jpg)
> 
> No serrated edges to the leaves.

_Solanum nigrum_ itself is highly variable, with leaf margins running from entire (ie solid, no variation) through toothed to lobed. To further add to the confusion, _S. nigrum_ hybridises freely with about a dozen other species. So simply looking at the shape of the leaf tells you approximately nothing.

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