What (poisonous? edible?) berry did my baby just eat?

May 28, 2017 1:42 PM

What berry is this? My (25+ pound) 13 month old just ate a black / ripe one. We think it's solanum nigrum. The berry is between 1/8-1/4". Second opinions?

Poison Control says that even if it were an unripe berry, even two or three, then just to watch him. The unripe berries are more toxic, but the two and a half year old very confidently later said it was a black berry (without having heard the black vs green discussion I'd been having with her mom). And I got there seconds after it went in his mouth and was able to scoop out only a few seeds, which is not what you'd expect if he'd been either chewing on or instantaneously swallowed a green one.

I'm most interested in knowing if there's a chance that we didn't ID the plant correctly. Location is Berkeley, CA.

Bonus round, is there a better way to handle the "kid just ate an unknown plant" scenario aside from googling and asking MF to get the plant ID? (I mean, assuming Plan A, "keep them from eating it" fails?)

posted by slidell to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

Best answer: The wikipedia article on Solanum nigrum (black nightshade) specifically says "Sometimes S. nigrum is confused for the more toxic deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna, in a different Solanaceae genus altogether. A comparison of the fruit shows that the black nightshade berries grow in bunches, the deadly nightshade berries grow individually." and those berries are definitely in clumps, so I wouldn't worry about it being deadly nightshade.
posted by Azara at 2:07 PM on May 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Great, thanks. And per the page I linked, the flowers look pretty different as well, it seems?
posted by slidell at 2:14 PM on May 28, 2017

Best answer: Based on your photo, I agree that the berry your baby ate is Solanum nigrum.

As Azara noted, the berry growth pattern is very different, and so are the flowers. My berry book advises, "Underripe berries are toxic. Some foragers eat fully ripe eastern black nightshade berries in small quantities, but even this may cause intestinal problems in some people." To counter an upset tummy, maybe feed him a bland carb-y diet for the rest of the day?

You did the right thing by clearing his mouth and calling Poison Control.
posted by scrubjay at 2:36 PM on May 28, 2017

Best answer: You did the right thing by calling Poison Control. If he turns out to have digestive issues and you wind up taking him in, bag up some of the berries and leaves and bring them in with you to show to the doctor; photos are useful but require you to be standing right there showing your phone to everybody.
posted by Rush-That-Speaks at 3:53 PM on May 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! Almost seven hours have passed with zero symptoms, so fingers crossed, I think things are all good over here. I appreciate the confirmation of the plant ID (and of the steps I took). That was very reassuring!
posted by slidell at 8:40 PM on May 28, 2017 [2 favorites]