Family: nightshades (Solanaceae)
Flowering time: June–July
Size: 50–150 cm
Habitat: beech forests, forest edges, clearings and along forest roads
Deadly nightshade (Atropa bella-donna) is an upright herbaceous perennial. Its sturdy stem is branched in the upper part and densely covered with short, soft hairs. Velvety-haired, ovate to oval leaves are pointed. They are up to 15 cm long and up to 8 cm wide. In the flowering region, in a pair there are always one larger and one smaller leaf. Bell-shaped flowers, which develop singly in the leaf axils, are campanulate. They are 2.5 to 3.5 cm long. The outer side of the corolla is brown-violet in color, the yellow interior is purple-veined. The ripe fruit is a black, glossy cherry-sized berry.
Deadly nightshade is an extremely poisonous plant! It grows on fresh humus-rich soils rich in nutrients—primarily nitrogen compounds. Except in Pomurje and on the coast, it can be found throughout Slovenia.
