The Berries Gallery:
Berries portrait of
Solanum crispum glasnerium
Blue Potato Vine
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The green berries are turning yellow-orange on the Blue Potato Vine in late August, when the blue flowers are still in full sway. Being of the same genus as potatoes, tomatoes, & deadly nightshade, it's not too surprising how much these fruits look like ultra-miniature tomatos.
Their degree of toxicity is debatable. The leaves, roots, green berries, & flowers are toxic for the whole genus, yet when fully ripened, the fruits of the vast majority of Solonam species (including even Deadly Nightshade) cease to be toxic. S. crispum in particular is not regarded as a health hazard. These facts emboldened me to taste the fruits when softly ripened to the texture of a tomato. Yummy? Not quite. The flavor was so violently appalling it made me spit & spit & spit, & I could still taste the hideous stuff an hour later even after gargling with salt. Even if they were mildly toxic, one would have to have no taste buds at all to successfully eat enough of these to get sick!
The vine itself is substantially evergreen through the winter, & colorful berries cling to the branches for quite some while, as birds only rarely eat them.
For more about this vine or wall-shrub, see the
Solanum crispum glasnerium page.
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