Stem

  • Up to 3 ft. tall, branched and covered with long, sticky hairs
Black henbane plant
Black henbane plant

Leaves

  • Alternate, lance-shaped to oblong, 2-8 in. long and covered with short, sticky hairs; veins are prominent and pale; edges (margins) are lobed to toothed; lower leaves have a short stem (petiole), upper leaves have NO leaf stem
Black henbane rosette
Black henbane rosette

Flower

  • Funnel-shaped with a purple center; 5 fused, greenish-yellow petals with purple veins; arise from leaf axils along upper part of stem
  • Seed pods are pineapple-shaped, 1 in. long and covered with long, sticky hairs; open end has 5 lobes; contain many small, dark seeds 
Black henbane flower
Black henbane flower

Root

  • Thick, fleshy taproot
Black henbane
 

Other

  • Grows best on open sites with well-drained soils; often infests roadsides, waste areas, field borders and pastures; known to occur in Clark, Elko, Eureka, Lincoln, Nye and White Pine counties 
  • Annual or biennial; reproduces by seed
  • Toxic to humans and livestock but rarely consumed by animals due to foul odor and taste
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Black henbane seed head

Control

  • Mowing, tillage, digging and hand-pulling prior to seed production are effective; burning dry, mature plants can kill seed 
  • Apply 2,4-D or dicamba post emergence; chlorsulfuron, metasulfuron or picloram pre- or post emergence
Blecker, L., Creech, E., Dick, J., Gephart, S., Hefner, M., Kratsch, H., Moe, A., Schultz, B. 2020, Nevada Noxious Weed Field Guide – Black henbane, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide

Learn more about the author(s)

Heidi Kratsch
Heidi Kratsch
 

Also of Interest:

 
Managing Black Henbane
This fact sheet contains information on ways to manage Black Henbane such as mechanical controls, cultural controls, biological controls, and many more.
 Graham, J. and Johnson, W. 2004, Extension | University of Nevada, Reno, FS-04-10
 

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