The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: The herb is the British annual nightshade, solanum nigrum. Poison cases have often arisen in Australia from this herb, the seeds of which easily find their way wherever colonisation, and with that any...

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95.05.00e

Plant names

Solanum nigrum
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Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to the Leader, 1895-05 [95.05.00e]. 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/1890-6/1895/95-05-00e-final.odt>, accessed June 13, 2026

Letter not found. The text given here is from 'Answers to correspondents', Leader, 11 May 1895, p. 9 (B95.05.05). It is introduced by

Poisonous Plant .— Subscriber, Murramingee writes

Herewith a sample of plant, which please give the name of, and whether it is Injurious to stock. It is commonly called deadly nightshade in this district, but I doubt that being its true name, as I know several who have eaten numbers of the ripe berries and felt none the worse. I have an acre paddock very bad with it.

Baron von Mueller reports as follows:—.

'Murramingee' is the name of a fictional Gippsland property in the short story 'Belle Brandon' in Whitworth & Windas (1893), pp. 64-80.

The herb is the British annual nightshade, solanum nigrum. Poison cases have often arisen in Australia from this herb, the seeds of which easily find their way wherever colonisation, and with that any culture, proceed. It was recorded as immigrated at Sydney in the beginning of the century. This plant is easily pulled up, but when thus dislodged should be burnt at once, so as to prevent its spreading again from seeds of the berries left to mature on the ground.