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Organism (ORGA)
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last updated: 09 Oct 2025
Organism information
Solanum americanum
Kingdom Viridiplantae
Phylum Tracheophyta
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Solanales
Family Solanaceae
Subfamily Solanoideae
Genus Solanum
Species Solanum americanum
  • Solanum nodiflorum
  • Solanum americanum Mill.
  • Solanum americanum Mill., 1768
  • American black nightshade
    EN
  • Black nightshade berries
    EN
Crops
Wild
Characteristics related to biosafety
The centre of origin for Solanum americanum is South America, possibly in the northwestern South American lowlands (Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina, Andeas region), though its exact native range is uncertain and debated. Its origin could also be in the wider Americas including Central America and the Caribbean.
EN
The highest genetic diversity for S. americanum and its close relatives is found in tropical South America, particularly the Andean and Amazonian foothill regions, where multiple wild populations occur and hybridize. Secondary centres of diversity are Southeastern and west coast United States of America, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean islands. Broader intraspecific diversity is noted across the tropics and subtropics of the Americas, extending to Melanesia, New Guinea, and Australia, though the core diversity remains Neotropical. Diversity spanned later into Mesoamerica and the Old World tropics in Africa and Asia.
EN
S. americanum is widespread throughout the tropics and subtropics globally and prefer a humid environment and warm temperate zones. It thrives in disturbed and moist soils, open fields and moist areas, and can be found at elevations of 2,000 meters or occasionally higher under favorable conditions.
EN
S. americanum occurs naturally throughout the tropical and subtropical Americas, extending from western Canada in the north, through the United States, Mexico, and Central America, to South America as far south as Argentina and Chile. The crop also occurs in Amazonian foothill regions, stretching from Ecuador and Colombia down through Peru and into Bolivia, and is widely naturalized in Africa, southern Europe, Asia, Australia, and many Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, where it grows as a common weed.
EN
Unripe fruits and leaves of S. americanum are toxic due to glycoalkaloids like solanine and solamargine in its green fruits, leaves, and foliage, causing symptoms from gastrointestinal distress to, in severe cases, convulsions or death, particularly in children and livestock, with toxicity varying by strain, soil, and rainfall (with lethal dose LD50 of 42 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally in rats).
While not a primary allergen, it may cause cross-reactive allergic reactions (e.g., oral allergy syndrome, respiratory issues, or skin reactions) in individuals sensitive to Solanaceae species due to proteins like lipid transfer proteins and patatin glycoproteins.
EN
  • Food
  • Research
Additional Information
Solanum americanum is a member of the Solanum nigrum complex (section Solanum) and exhibits interspecific hybridization primarily with other closely related taxa within this group, driven by morphological variability and shared ploidy levels (diploid 2n=24 or hexaploid 2n=72). These hybrids often arise naturally or through artificial crosses.
EN
Records referencing this document Show in search
Record type Field Record(s)
Genetic element Donor organism (scientific name) 3

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