Buffalobur Nightshade (Solanum rostratum) is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) that is native to the Great Plains. It has been introduced, presumably accidentally, well outside its native range. The plants shown here were recently found in Onondaga County, NY. It is a somewhat attractive plant in flower but the stems and calyces are covered in stiff spines. Plants have a spreading habit.
Flowers have yellow petals and 5 stamens; 4 stamens are of equal length and the fifth elongate and curved
The fruit is a berry that remains enclosed in the calyx which is beset with vicious spines
The leaves are deeply pinnately lobed. This species is in the same genus as potato and is vulnerable to damage from the same insects.
