Just a "Heads Up" about Black Nightshade

[Loess Hills]

[SIZE=12pt] It's that time of year when the nightshade plants are appearing in pastures. We've even found some large ones growing in a lilac hedge dividing our property. They're particularly noticeable by the little white blossoms before the berries appear. They must thrive in dry, hot weather.[/SIZE]

Here's a link to information: Black Nightshade .

So, check your pastures!

 

[Russ]

Very good reminder you shared, Rose.

: I'm seeing nightshade all over this year and it is a dangerous weed. I keep remembering when we had a forum member have mares go through nightshade poisoning..... :no:

Thanks for posting the link!

 

[CyndiD]

Thank you for posting this...I just did a walkabout in my little pasture and to my horror I discovered a whole PATCH of that stuff growing along the fence. I put up my sheep gates to secure it off and did some spraying...nasty stuff!

Now I have to get busy and walk out in my 'big' pastures....

:

 

[Brandi*]

YES I was pulling weeds in our pattock the other day and the stuff is EVERYWHERE!!!

 

[outlawridge]

When we lived in Wisconsin, nightshade was extremely common and VERY hard to get rid of. The roots can go for a long ways horizontally under a few inches of soil or entwined so close the the ground in grass and other weeds that you can't see it well. I have already pulled over 20 feet of tendrils from small fenceline plants in the past.

A POA mare of mine was suddenly very sleepy, lots of yawning and dozing laying down. What we found in her bloodwork was that she was eating a toxin which ended up being nightshade. Usually horses will avoid it and don't like the taste. Well she was crazy for it and I had to diligently search every nook and cranny of the pasture and fencelines at least once weekly (it grows VERY fast). If there was even a tiny bit, she would find it and eat it. When we first found out what was the problem, I went on the hunt and found it in an area it had never showed before and she could reach this small patch over the fence. Thankfully I have not seen any on our ranch here in Wyoming.

 

[tnovak]

The picture REALLY helped!!!! We call that stinky potato plant.....now that I know what it is, I can eliminate it (hopefully!) from the pasture!

 

[woodnldy]

Do the nightshade plants have thorns on them? I have a plant around the fenclines that resembles that picture but it has thorns.

 

[alongman]

Thanks for the heads up guys! I walked my pastures today!

 

[Russ]

The nightshade I have doesn't have any thorns. Can you get a close up picture of it? Maybe someone will recognize it. If you can't take a picture...try taking the plant to your county extension agent and he or she maybe able to help identify it.

Do the nightshade plants have thorns on them? I have a plant around the fenclines that resembles that picture but it has thorns.

 

[outlawridge]

None of the nightshade we battled with had thorns. Good suggestion to try the county extension office or state/county weed control.

 

[Wee Mite Miniatures]

Not all Deadly Nightshade has white flowers. The kind we have around here has purple flowers.

 

[Miniv]

We were constantly battling nightshade at our old place. It preferred the dry lot areas. It doesn't have thorns.

Just a warning........I would recommend either wearing gloves when pulling it OR immediately washing your hands. We were warned years ago that it has a toxic substance even on its stems that can be absorbed through our skin. Because of our size, we won't feel anything initially - but if you handle much of it, the substance can build up in our system over time.

MA

 

[wildoak]

We have a good bit of it here too, mostly in the places that are overgrazed or where grass doesn't grow well. My neighbor lost 2 big horses to it last year, terrible stuff. And yes - it does get on your skin. I pulled up some the other day without gloves, and where the "juice" came in contact with my hand stung for several hours.

Jan

 

[Casnos Minis]

I have never seen it , but then again, I'm not looking for it. I'll have to check my pastures. They have a good amount of grass in them, so they aren't eating anything they shouldn't be.

Christy

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Are there any better pictures of it? A few weeks ago something started springing up like crazy in the barn yard and I can't get ahead of it. Some appears to have been chewed and I just had a mare abort a 10 week fetus. Could this do this???

 

[outlawridge]

Are there any better pictures of it? A few weeks ago something started springing up like crazy in the barn yard and I can't get ahead of it. Some appears to have been chewed and I just had a mare abort a 10 week fetus. Could this do this???

Robin, sorry to hear about the mare aborting!

I don't know if that could be the reason, but here are a few more links with photos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadly_nightshade

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/vex/toxic/nightsha/nightsh0.htm

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9055818/nightshade

 

[woodnldy]

Thank You all for the added information. I will be on the lookout.

 

[Cathy_H]

Do the nightshade plants have thorns on them

I found several plants yesterday that had thorns on them that did resemble the nightshade. I don't know if it is in the same family or not...... I found one true nightshade plant in the fence line... Thanks for the reminder.

 

[buckonranch]

I have just become educated on "Nightshade" at a freinds house a few weeks ago.... to my suprise this weed is a ornamental border in all of our pens during the hot temperatures and draught we are having.. now I am crazy obsessed with it.. The best way I decribe it is.. the leaves looked like somthing has eating them like bugs.. they have tiny little wholes in them. like lacing? I did have a bred mare become extremely sick with diarhea a month or so ago.. very costly... she lost her foal.. we considered toxins, but there was not a bit of grass, weeds anything left in their pasture with the draught.. but..after seeing this weed. I pulled out a sh__ load of it right outside the barn where she was.. my biggest complaint of her symtoms was she seems like she was not all there.. like a neurolgoical.problem . I have treated West Nile.. kinda had that far away look...she did recover, her foal was born full term at the Equine hospital. It was an attended birth. The vets said the foal was born unresponsive.The mare never bagged or really "came to" much even after the foaling.. I dont think she could have taken care of the foal... After see this post I just read the symtoms and that is one of the # 1 symtoms.. the neurological effects... now I am really thinking.?????? that was our vets first thought was nightshade.. It sure was a pretty filly we lost.. :no: This is war... Gotta go, I have a whole woods to de-shade... I will try and take some pictures and post them..

angie/buckon"nightshade" ranch

 

[CyndiD]

The plants I have sprayed and pulled up also looked like some kind of aphid might be eating them, but I didn`t "see" any bugs....

That stuff seems to just spring out of the ground in the most unsuspecting places, I have found it growing out in the middle of the field...where I cannot safely spray...so I am pulling them up by hand. Thanks for the tip about the gloves, I haven`t been wearing any...

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