Bittersweet Nightshade

Siting: Bittersweet nightshade is grown as a climbing, semi-woody perennial vine that reaches roughly 1.8 to 3.6 m in height, using nearby shrubs, trees, or other supports to scramble upward. It grows in full sun to partial shade and tolerates soils ranging from moist loam to waterlogged ground, with a pH of about 4.8 to 7.9 and a preference for sites with a good nitrogen supply.

Spread: The vine also spreads by rooting at the nodes of its trailing stems, letting it colonise ground beyond where it was originally planted.

Bittersweet nightshade can be attacked by aphids, flea beetles, potato beetles, and thrips. It also acts as an alternate host for the Colorado potato beetle, allowing the pest to persist nearby even when a susceptible crop is not present.

Seed collection: Ripe berries are hand-picked from July to September, then rubbed through a fine screen so the pulp and empty seeds can be floated off in water; larger batches can instead be processed through a macerator, and careful cleaning can bring seed purity to 99 to 100% with 92 to 99% soundness.

Storage: Dried to about 6% moisture and kept in an airtight container, the seed retains high viability for at least a year whether stored at 2 to 3°C or at room temperature.

Ornamental: Bittersweet nightshade has been cultivated since 1561, chiefly as an ornamental climbing vine.

Wildlife: Its berries feed some birds and other wildlife, and the vine offers nesting sites and cover, even though the fresh berries are poisonous to most mammals, including rabbits.

Medicinal: Historically, the bark of the roots, twigs, and leaves was made into external ointments applied for skin diseases, warts, tumors, and felons, and the plant was listed in the British Pharmacopoeia until 1907. It was also used in traditional European folk medicine to induce vomiting and reportedly for conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, jaundice, kidney complaints, rheumatism, and a weak heart.

Bittersweet nightshade is native to Europe, northern Africa, and eastern Asia, with a range stretching from the Azores across temperate Eurasia to North Indo-China. It was introduced from Europe into North America, likely for ornamental planting, and has since naturalized widely across the continent as well as in Brazil and Tasmania.