• Family : SOLANACEAE
  (NIGHTSHADE FAMILY OR BRINJAL FAMILY)
• Family (as per The Plant List) : Solanaceae
• Species : Solanum nigrum
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Solanum americanum Mill.
• Common name : Black nightshade
• Vernacular name : Kamuni, Makoi (Hin.); Kakki hannu soppu (Kan.); Milaguthakkali, Karuntha, Manathakkalli, Kaasithazhai (Tam.); Kasi, Kamanchi, Gajju chettu, Kachchi pundu (Tel.); Nunununi, Thutguna (Ori.)
• Key identification features : Unarmed herb. Leaves are broadly ovate, entire or slightly lobed. Flowers are white, extra-axillary in umbellate cymes, 4-8 flowered. Fruit is a black berry.
• Habit : Herb
• Flower, Fruit : Throughout the Year
• Native : Old World tropics
• Comments : Cultivated all over the Ghats for its edible leaves and berries which are used in traditional cooking. Sometimes as a weed of wastelands. Young fruits are used in the treatment of jaundice.
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Distribution Locality : Throughout Eastern Ghats
• World Distribution : Cosmopolitan
• Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2011 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 4; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2 ; R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipal, Orissa; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka; Matthew, K.M., The Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983.
• Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Solanum nigrum. Downloaded on 2 April 2025.

Description

Line Drawings

Field Images