Warm Wet Winter Wonders

[urbpan]

"Warm" meaning "above 32F."


A non-native invasive species, but a source of color at the black chain-link gate. The fruit of the tomato relative bittersweet nightshade Solanum dulcamara.


Just a few feet away, the fruit of the fungus Exidia recisa, having weakened the wood of an overhead branch, has fallen with its food to the ground. There is no accepted common name for this mushroom, but I like "winter jelly" or maybe "willow jelly" since it's one of the only mushrooms common in winter, and it mostly feeds on willow branches.

Comments

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

bittersweet as opposed to "deadly" nightshade? or just slow enough for the taste to get recorded?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

"Deadly nightshade" is one of those common names applied to multiple species (including this one) but usually applied to belladonna. I prefer "bittersweet nightshade" for this one because that's a more or less literal translation of the scientific name.

Bittersweet apparently refers to the taste of the twigs, which were used medicinally at one time. Like tomatoes and potatoes, the greens and stems are toxic, as well as the unripe berries. There is great caution around the ripe berries, but that may be unwarranted.