It looks like Solanum nigrum, Black Nightshade.

Is it Edible?

I just read that the black berries are not harmful to humans, but the green ones & other plant parts are. On another site I read that adults can eat them, but can have an effect on children.

Call your doctor and poison control center. Ask for the advice of experts.

Thanks all. She is absolutely fine. Whew. I ripped them OUT!!!

part of the potato family ... of which i just read . all parts of a pomato are potentially toxic.. but for the spud ....

IF i recall correctly .. lol...

ken

PS: the first thing i taught my babes.. is that.. in the garden.. or yard.. they eat only what i give them .... the lesson is imperative ... until they have advanced degrees in horticulture to define what they are sticking in their mouths ...

PPS: it also called bella donna.. spanish women used to use its effects.. extreme dilation of the eyes to attract men .. go figure on that.. some took it a bit to far..

PPPS: compare answer a couple above with link .... i dont understand where some peeps are coming from .. the link says: Belladonna is one of the most toxic plants found in the Western hemisphere. All parts of the plant contain tropane alkaloids. AND continues on from there ...

Here is a link that might be useful: you may have dodged a bullet

There's some confusion creeping in here. Solanum nigrum (black nightshade) is not the same plant as Atropa bella- donna (deadly nightshade or bella donna.) Another plant often misnamed 'deadly nightshade' is Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet). All three are poisonous but Atropa bella donna is the worst. It is Solanum nigrum which was being referred to in earlier posts, not Atropa bella-donna. Solanum nigrum is variable and some strains do have edible berries. But it's probably sensible not to experiemnt without expert knowledge.

thx flora...

i thought of my shotgun approach to the nightshades .. later that afternoon ...

regardless... none should be found in a yard with a child ...

ken

Good luck with that. Solanum dulcamara (Bittersweet Nightshade) and Solanum nigrum (Black Nightshade) are some of the most common weeds around here. (eastern US). I don't believe Atropa belladonna (Deadly Nightsade) occurs in this area at all in the wild, it isn't in my copy of Gleason, or listed on the USDA website.

And there's a lot of confusion between them - do a Google Image Search on 'Deadly Nightshade' and half the pictures that come up are of Solanum dulcamara.

WW

Nightshade plants are very common. So much so that I didn't rip them out at all when my children were very small. Much to the contrary. I showed them exactly where they were, told them what they were and how they would make them sick or kill them - perhaps a bit dramatic with Solanum dulcamara but it makes a point, if they ate them. They made excellent examples to talk about plant safety to my children. My kids learned then that any plant could potentially make you sick or kill you if you ate it and if you didn't know what it was, that they were to treat it as poison. I told them at that their age, they needed to ask me before eating anything "wild." Every time we saw the nightshade plants, we talked about them and safety, reinforcing the message.

My kids have gotten older and enjoy foraging some simple wild foods for themselves but they are well-grounded in safety. I have no doubt that they would look out for less-learned peers and younger children when it comes to wild plants. I chose education rather than avoidance because you cannot rip out every toxic plant your children are going to come across in life. I can't always be there but hopefully my lessons can. Obviously you have to do what makes sense for your situation but teach your kids to respect plants as living things, for their beauty, their power to heal and feed us, and their power to sicken and kill.

FataMorgana

Yes, fatamorgana - I remember my Mum pointing out the wreaths of scarlet bittersweeet berries twining through the hedges and telling me about them. They were poisonous but beautiful in a bare winter hedgerow. Same goes for bryony berries. They are native plants here and they have their place.