Thursday, May 6, 2010

No Horsing Around With Horse Nettle

Horse nettle, Solanum carolinense, is starting to pop up its thorny heads in the not-recently-cultivated plot beside our garden. It is growing fast and every surface (save the flowers) seems to be covered in sharp thorns. Even the roots have thorns!

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It is in the nightshade family. While native, it is invasive. When I first noticed it, I deliberately stepped on each of the several plants that were close to our border. The following day, after a rain, they looked as vigorous as ever and were even blooming. That was when I took these photos.

So after the photo session, I used loppers to cut each to the ground. I am sure that will not kill them, but it will slow them a little and it at least kept the flowers from going to seed.