Need Help Identifying Plant - Huckleberry? - Ask Extension
I need help identifying this plant, and determining whether or not the berries can be picked and eaten. I had planted one huckleberry plant in this l...
Knowledgebase
Need Help Identifying Plant - Huckleberry? #286646
Asked October 23, 2015, 7:03 PM EDT
I need help identifying this plant, and determining whether or not the berries can be picked and eaten. I had planted one huckleberry plant in this location three years ago but it died shortly after planting it. This year this plant appeared in the same location and is tall and full with abundant fruit. It sort of looks like it could be a huckleberry plant, but I have never seen one so I don't know what to compare it to. It looks similar to ones in pictures on the internet --- the fruit is firm, shiny and smooth. However it does NOT have a blossom on its end like a blueberry does, its larger than blueberries, and the it does not really have a taste. Is this an edible plant?
Weber County Utah
Expert Response
Huckleberry or TOXIC plant?
Even plant expert, Michael Piep, a curator at the the USU Herbarium cannot determine from your photos whether you have a deadly nightshade or a garden huckleberry. If those little star-like flowers are on the same plant, my concern is it could be deadly nightshade - however, the "garden huckleberry" is a nightshade and has the star shaped flowers. The blueberry family of plants have bell-shaped flowers, and huckleberry is another name for blueberry (as is farkleberry and sparkleberry, but they all prefer acid soil, which we do not have in Utah). Take a look at this article for the photos of berries and flowers:
If you find someone to identify with certainty that it is a garden "huckleberry" (which Michael points out is
Solanum melanocerasum, as opposed to the blueberry family which are from the genus vaccinium), please read this extension article which warns that the berries are toxic if they are not fully ripe.
You might find this article on poisonous berries useful, too:
Also, try contacting the Weber County Extension Office to find out if there's someone you could bring a sample to:
