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Garden Huckleberry Solanum melanocerasum,
S. nigrum guineense a.k.a. Wonderberry,
Sunberry Small,
dark purple or purple or black fruit that is edible (despite looking
like nightshade) and is usually cooked or boiled before eating.
See below for more explanation. |
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Uses |
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Cooked and used as a flavoring for various desserts. The unripe (green) berries are poisonous. |
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Plant Cultivation |
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Very small shrub, usually growing to only 12-24". Plants require
virtually no care other than water. Grow in the ground or in pots, plants
are fairly short lived and make excellent annuals. There are a number
of varieties of garden huckleberry to which there is some confusion.
The wonderberry is actually a garden huckleberry
variant hybridized by famed plant breeder Luther Burbank. Wonderberries
have superior flavor to most garden huckleberries, although there are
some sweet varieties of garden huckleberry that are worthwhile for the
home grower. Caution should be advised not to confuse the fruits with
those of nighshade (a very close relative), as nightshade fruits are
highly poisonous. |
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Origin and Distribution |
| A variety of the deadly nightshade, supposedly originating from Africa. |
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Related Species |
