Appearance
Solanum dulcamara is a perennial vine or scrambling shrub with slender stems that can reach up to 6.6 ft. (2 m) tall, either erect or clambering.

Foliage
Leaves are dark-green to purplish, petiolate, alternate, 3 lobed (upper part of the stem), acuminate, and up to 3.1 in. (7.9 cm) long.

Flowers
Flowering occurs from May to November when purple flowers develop. Petals are recurved and up to 0.4 in. (1 cm) long. Stamens are bright yellow and fused together around the stigma.

Fruit
Mature fruits are red, shiny, round, or egg-shaped, 0.4 in. (1 cm) long berries with about 30 yellow-colored, flattened seeds.

Ecological Threat
Solanum dulcamara invades thickets, fence rows, pond margins, low woods, and roadsides. It is native to Eurasia. All parts of the plants are toxic. Always wear gloves and protective clothing when handling this plant.

Citations
Rawlins, K.A., R.L. Winston, C.T. Bargeron, D.J. Moorhead, and R. Carroll. 2018. New Invaders of the Southeast. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team, Morgantown, West Virginia. FHTET-2017-05. Retrieved from http://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/pdf/FHTET-2017-05_New%20Invaders_SE.pdf
 

Resources

• Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Connecticut Invasive Plant List
• Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
• Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin
• Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
• Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council - Moderate Threat
• Michigan Noxious Weeds
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• Native Plant Society of Oregon, 2008
• New Hampshire Invasive Plant Species Watch List
• New Invaders of the Southeast
• Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program Tracked Species List
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States

References