November 16, 2025

Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense). Goes from this in June —

— to this in November.

Berries that look very much like they ought to be delicious, much like a cherry tomato. But beware. This fruit of the Carolina Horsenettle has a common name of Devil’s Tomato, which you should take as a warning. Every part of this plant is poisonous to humans as well as livestock.

Horsenettle is in the genus Solanum, which is part of the Solanaceae (or nighshade) family. There are many familiar plants in this family including food that we eat, potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant, and another that we don’t eat, Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna).

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