What is this plant with a bunch of small red berries and shiny spear-shaped leaves with twin leaflets at the bases?
1 Answers
This is Solanum dulcamara, commonly "bittersweet nightshade"*, one of the more deadly weeds one might encounter.
It's a member of the "nightshade" family, Solanaceae. You can see the resemblance in the fruit and leaves to tomatoes and peppers. It grows freely in reasonably dry soil, and especially likes somewhere that it can climb, like the fenced edge of a lawn. If you see it in flower, it will have interesting 5-pointed purple blossoms, each with a prominent yellow "beak". The berries are oblong, green at first, sometimes changing through yellow and orange before settling on the bright red in your picture.
All parts of the plant contain the neurotoxin solanine, which is estimated to be fatal in doses as low as 5 or 6 mg per kg of body weight.
It's a pretty plant, but keep the kids away from it.
*Note that it's not the only plant that has this common name.

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I lived with many of such Solanum (and other related species). When I was a children I like to splash the fruits, and I'm alive. And no, it is not very toxic, like many other wild plant populates my region. I also never seen a children dying for eating plants and mushrooms in wild. (but adults die more often for it, they are much more reckless). So stop such terrorism about deadly plants. BTW: "dulcamara" mean "sweet and sour", so botanists tasted it. Just don't do it. – Giacomo Catenazzi Aug 21 '17 at 07:27
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And as a second comment. You cited few solanaceae, but you forgot one, which BTW is also really a Solanum: Solanum tuberosum: the potato – Giacomo Catenazzi Aug 21 '17 at 07:29
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If you've consumed a plant that is known to be poisonous and had no problem, then good for you, you've had a nearly unique experience. That doesn't mean everyone else should try it. Solanine is a very toxic substance and it is present in this plant. – jscs Aug 21 '17 at 11:04
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@GiacomoCatenazzi This one has the common name Woody Nightshade in the UK, it is Solanum dulcamara, and I disagree regarding its toxicity, particularly to chiildren. It nearly killed my four year old son when he ate 3 or 4 berries, was admitted to hospital for nearly a week till he recovered, with treatment. I'd suggest ripping it out asap – Bamboo Aug 21 '17 at 11:14
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@JoshCaswell: No I never eat it. I just played with the fruits. In any case it is not the most toxic plant we have. Raw potatoes could have solanine as tomatoes. But we have so many dangerous things and berries, that I think get rid of it it just *reduce* safety (this "discovery" come from IT world): you think your environment is more sure, so you care less, when in facts it did change nothing, so more prone to dangers. – Giacomo Catenazzi Aug 21 '17 at 12:31
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@Bamboo: ahhh. I didn't know.It is strange, because it seems to taste bad, so people tend not to eat much and reject it. I knew (before this) just some cases of adults making jams of mixes wild berries... with bad results (sugar), or the common photo-sensitivity of acconitum and euphorbia. – Giacomo Catenazzi Aug 21 '17 at 12:43
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@GiacomoCatenazzi - the trouble with Woody Nightshade is, it pops up on its own, and often grows where there are wild blackberries. Where's there's one one year, there'll be even more the following year. We were picking blackberries in the garden, (I hadn't noticed it there, entwined with the blackberry)when my son picked the wrong berries and ate them instead - at three or four, they're not too discerning about what they put in their mouths... and most poisonous plants are fine so long as you don't eat them. – Bamboo Aug 21 '17 at 12:45
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I didn't say it was poisonous to _touch_, @GiacomoCatenazzi. I also didn't say "get rid of it". It's dangerous to eat, and that's what I warned about. – jscs Aug 21 '17 at 12:47
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1I think we can delete this discussion. It could just cause some troubles to new users. – Giacomo Catenazzi Aug 21 '17 at 13:06