Stem
- 1-3 ft. tall, branched, covered with spines less than 0.2 in. long and short hairs
Leaves
- Alternate, oval to lance-shaped and 3-6 in. long; spines often on veins on undersides of leaves; edges (margins) are wavy to lobed
- Leaves covered with tiny yellow hairs; hairs appear star-shaped with magnification
Flower
- Star-shaped with 5 white to pale violet petals; 0.75-1.5 in. diameter; 5-20 flowers clustered on stalks at tips of branches
- Berries are round 0.25-0.75 in. diameter, shiny, yellow and resemble tiny tomatoes
Root
- Deep, creeping root system
Other
- Grows best in sandy, well-drained soils; often infests crop fields and pastures; no known occurences in Nevada
- Perennial; reproduces by seed and creeping roots
- Also known as Carolina horsenettle; native to North America; toxic to livestock and humans; hosts a number of diseases and insects that attack related plants, such as tomato and potato
Control
- Tillage, mowing and grazing are NOT effective; repeated hand-digging of individual plants can be effective for small infestations
- Apply 2,4-D or glyphosate to young, actively growing plants; imazapyr to actively growing plants; picloram at full flower
Blecker, L., Creech, E., Dick, J., Gephart, S., Hefner, M., Kratsch, H., Moe, A., Schultz, B.
2020,
Nevada Noxious Weed Field Guide – Horsenettle,
Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide
