Stem
- 1-3 ft. tall, branched and densely covered with short hairs; sometimes covered with red to yellow spines less than 0.2 in. long
Leaves
- Alternate; oval to lance-shaped and 3-6 in. long with wavy or lobed edges (margins); usually NO spines on leaf veins; covered with tiny hairs that are star-shaped with magnification; gives the plant a gray or silvery appearance
Flower
- Star-shaped, 0.75-1.5 in. diameter, purple to blue with 5 petals and yellow stamens; usually 3-5 flowers clustered on stalks at tips of branches
- Berries are round, shiny, yellow, 0.25-0.5 in. diameter and resemble tiny tomatoes
Root
- Deep, creeping root system
Other
- Often infests rangeland, roadsides, waste areas and crop fields; native to North America; known to occur in Clark, Elko and Nye counties
- Perennial; reproduces by seeds and roots
- Toxic to livestock and humans
- Also known as white horsenettle
Control
- Repeated hand-digging can be effective; DO NOT use tillage, mowing or grazing
- Apply 2,4-D, aminopyralid, dicamba, 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 – Silverleaf nightshade,
Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide
