• Horsenettle Plant 215x150

Category B Weed

Nightshade family (Solanaceae)

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Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense)

    Stem

    • 1-3 ft. tall, branched, covered with spines (less than 0.2 in. long) and short hairs

      Leaves

      • Alternate, oval to lance-shaped and 3-6 in. long; spines often on veins on undersides of leaves; edges (margins) are wavy to lobed

      • Leaves covered with tiny yellow hairs; hairs appear star-shaped with magnification

        Flower

        • Star-shaped with 5 white to pale violet petals; 0.75-1.5 in. diameter; 5-20 flowers clustered on stalks at tips of branches

        • Berries are round (0.25-0.75 in. diameter), shiny, yellow and resemble tiny tomatoes

          Root

          • Deep, creeping root system

            Other

            • Grows best in sandy, well-drained soils; often infests crop fields and pastures; known to occur in Elko County

            • Perennial; reproduces by seed and creeping roots

            • Also known as Carolina horsenettle; native to North America; toxic to livestock and humans; hosts a number of diseases and insects that attack related plants, such as tomato and potato

              Control

              • Tillage, mowing and grazing are NOT effective

              • Repeated hand-digging of individual plants can be effective for small infestations

              • Apply glyphosate or 2,4-D to young, actively growing plants; picloram at full flower; imazapyrto actively growing plants