Taxon: Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.

Summary

Genus:

Solanum

Subgenus:

Leptostemonum

Section:

Leprophora

Family:

Solanaceae

Subfamily:

Solanoideae

Tribe:

Solaneae

Nomen number:

101507

Place of publication:

Icon. 3:22, t. 243. 1795

Protologue link:

https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/idviewer/9681/34

Verified:

11/30/2010 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

4 (2 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Links

Seeds or fruits – Seed ID Workshop image, from Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource). Note: exotic
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Boyd, J. W. et al. 1984. Silverleaf nightshade, Solanum elaeagnifolium, origin, distribution, and relation to man. Econ. Bot. 38:210-216.
Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas
D'Arcy, W. G. 1974. Solanum and its close relatives in Florida. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 61:847.
Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978-. Flora de Veracruz.
Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
Henderson, M. et al. 1987. Declared weeds and alien invader plants in South Africa. Botanical Research Institute, bulletin 413
Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
Jaeger, P.-M. L. & F. N. Hepper. 1986. Chapter 4. A review of the genus Solanum in Africa. In: D'Arcy, W. G., ed., Solanaceae: biology and systematics 41-55. Note: mentions as a recent introduction to Africa
Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada.
Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
Levin, R. A. et al. 2006. Phylogenetic relationships among the "spiny solanums" Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum, Solanaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 93:157-169.
Martin, W. C. & C. R. Hutchins. 1980. A flora of New Mexico.
Mekki, M. 2007. Biology, distribution and impacts of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.). Bull. OEPP 37:114-118. Note: this review comments on its status of noxious weed for several crops (peanuts, lettuce, cotton), and by being poisonous to livestock affects quality of hay
Nee, M. 1999. Synopsis of Solanum in the New World. In: Nee, M. et al., eds., Solanaceae IV: advances in biology and utilization 319.
Parsons, W. T. & E. G. Cuthbertson. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia Inkata Press, Melbourne, Australia.
PBI Solanum Project. Solanaceae source: a global taxonomic resource for the nightshade family (on-line resource).
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Roberts, J. & S. Florentine. 2022. Biology, distribution and management of the globally invasive weed Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav (silverleaf nightshade): a global review of current and future management challenges. Weed Res. 62:393-403. DOI: 10.1111/wre.12556.
Seed Regulatory and Testing Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A. State noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of the Federal Seed Act (updated annually).
Shreve, F. & I. L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and flora of the Sonoran desert.
Singleton, J. J. et al. 2020. Cross-species transferability of Solanum spp. DNA markers and their application in assessing genetic variation in silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) populations from Texas, USA. Weed Sci. 68:396-404. DOI: 10.1017/wsc.2020.25.
Symon, D. E. 1981. A revision of the genus Solanum in Australia. J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4:1-367.
Tataridas, A. et al. 2022. Agroecological management of invasive plant species: the case of Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. Diversity 14:1101. DOI: 10.3390/d14121101.
Turner, N. J. et al. 2021. Seed germination dynamics of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.) and implications for effective weed management. Weed Biol. Managem. 21:146-155. DOI: 10.1111/wbm.12233. Note: The weed society of Japan
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
Wiggins, I. L. 1980. Flora of Baja California.
Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	bull-nettle	1	Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
English	prairie-berry	1	1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
English	silverleaf bitter-apple	1	Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
English	silverleaf nightshade	1	Parsons, W. T. & E. G. Cuthbertson. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia Inkata Press, Melbourne, Australia.
English	silverleaf-nettle	1	Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
English	tomato-weed	1	Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS). Australian plant common name database (on-line resource).
English	white horse-nettle	1	Symon, D. E. 1981. A revision of the genus Solanum in Australia. J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4:1-367.
Afrikaans	satansbos	2	Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12
Portuguese (Brazil)	arrebenta-cavalo	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	melãozinho-do-campo	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanish	trompillo	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedish	silverskatta	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Kansas
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Missouri
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Oklahoma
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Baja California (Norte)		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Baja California Sur		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Chihuahua		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Coahuila de Zaragoza		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Durango		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Nuevo León		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sonora		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Colorado	s.w.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	New Mexico		Martin, W. C. & C. R. Hutchins. 1980. A flora of New Mexico.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas		Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Arkansas
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Louisiana
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Aguascalientes		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Ciudad de México		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guanajuato		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Querétaro		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tlaxcala		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
1	Native	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	Arizona		Mekki, M. 2007. Biology, distribution and impacts of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.). Bull. OEPP 37:114-118. Note: this review comments on its status of noxious weed for several crops (peanuts, lettuce, cotton), and by being poisonous to livestock affects quality of hay
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina			Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Chile			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay			Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Uruguay			Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.
4	Naturalized					widely natzd. elsewhere	Roberts, J. & S. Florentine. 2022. Biology, distribution and management of the globally invasive weed Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav (silverleaf nightshade): a global review of current and future management challenges. Weed Res. 62:393-403. DOI: 10.1111/wre.12556.
6	Other					probably not native in North America

Native
Northern America

NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma]
NORTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Colorado (s.w.)]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arkansas, Louisiana]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [New Mexico, Texas]
SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arizona]
NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Baja California (Norte), Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Ciudad de México, Colima, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Tlaxcala, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave]

Southern America

SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

Naturalized (widely natzd. elsewhere)
Other (probably not native in North America)

Reference(s)

Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
Martin, W. C. & C. R. Hutchins. 1980. A flora of New Mexico.
Mekki, M. 2007. Biology, distribution and impacts of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.). Bull. OEPP 37:114-118. Note: this review comments on its status of noxious weed for several crops (peanuts, lettuce, cotton), and by being poisonous to livestock affects quality of hay
Roberts, J. & S. Florentine. 2022. Biology, distribution and management of the globally invasive weed Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav (silverleaf nightshade): a global review of current and future management challenges. Weed Res. 62:393-403. DOI: 10.1111/wre.12556.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:892. DOI: 10.1016/j.mb.2016.06.017.
Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996, 1999. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Vertebrate poisons	mammals	to livestock	Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada.
Vertebrate poisons	mammals	to livestock	Mekki, M. 2007. Biology, distribution and impacts of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.). Bull. OEPP 37:114-118. Note: this review comments on its status of noxious weed for several crops (peanuts, lettuce, cotton), and by being poisonous to livestock affects quality of hay
Weed		in agricultural and natural landscapes	Roberts, J. & S. Florentine. 2022. Biology, distribution and management of the globally invasive weed Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav (silverleaf nightshade): a global review of current and future management challenges. Weed Res. 62:393-403. DOI: 10.1111/wre.12556.
Weed		of hay and crops; establishing by seeds, and new growth and development by buds, new shoots and root fragments	Mekki, M. 2007. Biology, distribution and impacts of silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.). Bull. OEPP 37:114-118. Note: this review comments on its status of noxious weed for several crops (peanuts, lettuce, cotton), and by being poisonous to livestock affects quality of hay
Weed	seed contaminant	in alfalfa and cereal grain crops	Boyd, J. W. et al. 1984. Silverleaf nightshade, Solanum elaeagnifolium, origin, distribution, and relation to man. Econ. Bot. 38:210-216.
Weed	seed contaminant	potential	Symon, D. E. 1981. A revision of the genus Solanum in Australia. J. Adelaide Bot. Gard. 4:1-367.
Weed	seed contaminant	potential	Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia
Weed	seed contaminant	potential	Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=101507. Accessed 12 May 2026.