The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: I still would warn children not to consume the berries of the Solanum nigrum, as at any time a ¶ large ¶ quantity taken may prove very deleterious, though they may eat perhaps a small lot with impun...

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81.06.00d

Plant names

Solanum nigrum
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to a resident of Sydney, 1881-06 [81.06.00d]. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id//letters/1880-9/1881/81-06-00d-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Poisonous plants', Sydney mail and New South Wales advertiser, 2 July 1881, p. 20 (B81.07.02). The article follows up one published in the same newspaper on 18 June. The extract from M's letter is introduced by

A gentleman in this city, concerned at the possible danger from a too free use of the tempting berries, wrote for information to Baron von Mueller, the eminent botanist of Melbourne [letter not found], and was favoured by him with the following reply, which must be regarded as decisive upon the subject.

The letter is dated to June 1881 as the latest it could have been written and then communicated to the newspaper in time for this edition, but it is possible that the letter had been written at an earlier date and the recipient prompted to report it after the article of 18 June appeared.

I still would warn children not to consume the berries of the , as at any time a large quantity taken may prove very deleterious, though they may eat perhaps a small lot with impunity. I am aware that children in South Africa eat the berries of this noxious weed, but I regard it as a very dangerous proceeding.