I am new here, and not sure if I am posting this in the correct spot, so please re-direct me if necessary.

This plant has appeared in my garden. I had ordered some seeds from a small DIY heirloom gardener, that were supposed to be Telekia Speciosa, and this is what came up. This is NOT Telekia Speciosa, and I don't know what it is, and whether or not it came from the seeds I planted, or if a bird deposited these seeds. The vendor has no clue.

It is very tall - at least 3 feet, vigorous grower, very small flower, and the fruits are hard and green for awhile, and then turn purple filled with many yellow seeds - not very attractive, and pushing out other plants, so I'd like to pull it up if it's not edible. Fruits are about the size of green peas, smaller than chick peas, in clusters.

Thanks.

I am in NYC.

It looks like a Black Nightshade to me.

Black Nightshade (Solanum nigrum)

If that's what it is, this is definitely not edible!

Thank you so much, that definitely fits the description, and now I can pull it out without feeling badly! I suspected nightshade because the little fruits are definiitly tomato-like, and so is the flower (a little bit), and stalk (similar), but I have never seen black nightshade before.

I actually did a little google search on this just to learn more before pulling it out and discovered that Black Nightshade is edible, and is sometimes confused with Deadly Nightshade, which is poisonous. Here is a link:

http://www.rootsimple.com/2012...

....The issue of the edibility of black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) came up in the comments on our post on forager Pascal Baudar. We’ve blogged about the confusion between the edible Solanum nigrum and the toxic “deadly nightshade” or Atropa belladonna in a post last year. But Pascal left a link to an excellent article by author and forager Sam Thayer that puts in the nail in the coffin of the myth that Solanum nigrum is poisonous.
.......
Unripe (green) fruit of Solanum nigrum does contain solanine and should be avoided, but the ripe fruit is perfectly edible and quite delicious. People all around the world eat Solanum nigrum. In parts of the US Solanum nigrum are made into pies. I’ve snacked on Solanum nigrum berries from the backyard and I was lucky to be served Solanum nigrum prepared in a balsamic reduction sauce by Pascal’s partner Mia Wasilevich…and I’ve lived to tell the tale! .....

And here is a more extensive article explaining the myth and confusion:
http://foragersharvest.com/bla...

Wikipedia has conflicting information, which adds to the confusion. Never knew a volunteer weed could cause so much

I've heard for years that the toxicity of Solanum nigrum varies depending on the variety but how does one find out which varieties DO NOT have toxic tendencies?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

Incredible that there edible. I, however, won't be giving them a try! I've field tested all sorts of plants, berries, mushrooms, etc. but those have always been a no no! Were the berries sweet? I'll stick with tomatoes and eggplant!

Solanum burbankii from Baker Creek is a similar plant with edible (when fully ripe) berries.

After reading all that I decided to go try a few. I ate 4, and they were somewhat sweet. They are not going to ripen simultaneously so it would be hard to make jam or pie out of mine. I'll let you know if I"m still alive tomorrow.

I have the Black Nightshade here and there popping up in containers and in the garden, I actually quite like the ripe black juicy berries and have always been eating them right of the plant without any ill effects whatsoever!
I'm sure you will be OK ndantonio2!
And to ATP!
(edited for spelling..)

So glad to hear that someone else has been eating them. I am still alive, with no stomach aches, and felt great all day. I was going to pull the plants out because they are not particularly attractive and my containers are crowded, but now I've decided to eat the berries first, as they ripen.

Interesting -- but I think I'm just going to continue to avoid all of the nightshade weeds!

Just my two cents. If I purchase the seeds from a reliable source and grow the edible plant I would eat the berries. If the plant just popped up in my yard I would not be as daring. I am hoping that your plant has been identified correctly and is safe to eat.

I found a link with lots of information (although my brain stopped functioning and I will read the last half on another day): http://foragersharvest.com/bla...