Black cherry, deadly nightshade, dwale,
poison black cherry, belladonna
Roots, leaves
Leaves, tops, berries
Description
Belladonna is a perennial plant found
occasionally in waste places in the eastern states of the U.S., more
commonly in European pastures, mountain forests, ruins, and waste
places. A thick, creeping, whitish, fleshy rootstock sends up an erect,
leafy stem that usually splits into three branches and attains a height
of up to 5 feet. The dull green, ovate leaves grow in pairs, one leaf
being half as large as the other. Belladonna flowers are solitary,
bell-shaped, and dull brown to dark purple in color. The fruit is
a sweet-tasting, black, shiny berry about the size of a cherry.