Deadly Nightshade
Atropa bella-donna
Renaissance women used drops of its juice to dilate their pupils for a seductive look, giving rise to its name 'bella donna', meaning 'beautiful lady' in Italian.
- Scientific name
- Atropa bella-donna
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Solanales › Solanaceae › Atropa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, forest edges, scrublands, and disturbed areas with calcareous, calcium-rich soils.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthetic producer converting sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into energy).
- Range
- Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, North America (introduced)
- Size
- Up to 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 feet) tall.
- Lifespan
- Perennial (typically 3 to 8 years, regrowing annually from a thick, fleshy root system).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Eradication by land managers due to toxicity, habitat fragmentation, and urbanization.
- Safe to approach?
- Extremely dangerous. All parts of this plant contain lethal tropane alkaloids. Do not ingest any part, especially the tempting glossy black berries. Avoid handling the plant with bare hands, as toxins can absorb through broken skin or transfer to eyes. Keep children and pets far away. If ingestion is suspected, seek emergency medical services immediately.
Atropa belladonna , commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade , is a perennial herbaceous plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and aubergine. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. Its distribution extends from Great Britain in the west to western Ukraine and the Iranian province of Gilan in the east. It is also naturalised and/or introduced in some parts of Canada and the United States.
Photo: Henry Miller, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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