YOUR correspondent Les Clarke is mistaken if he believes that the photograph of berries printed in conjunction with his letter (Advertiser, August 20) shows deadly nightshade.
The plant depicted is Solanum dulcamara, otherwise known as woody nightshade or bittersweet, and is unlikely to cause much worse than a bellyache and sickness in the average child unless they gorge on the bunches of bright red berries.
Deadly nightshade, or belladonna, on the other hand, is properly known as Atropa belladonna and is much rarer.
It produces single black, intensely sweet berries which resemble a shiny, slightly flattened blueberry and traditionally were called 'the Devil's cherries', 'dwale' and a number of other names which reflect its much greater toxicity.
I have from time to time grown it as a curiosity on account of its being much more interesting than petunias.
Your readers may see what it looks like at:
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/n/nighde05-l.jpg
Both plants, it has to be said, are members of the same family, the solanaceae, which also includes the humble spud, the tomato and tobacco, among others.
If Mr Clarke is worried about the danger of children to poisoning themselves, he should be more concerned about the easy availability of Aconitum napellus (also called monkshood and, less correctly, wolfbane), probably the most toxic plant native to Europe, which is sold without any warnings at garden centres in and around Redditch each year.
I have two aconite plants in my garden which would be sufficient to see off most of Winyates Green were - so inclined. Again, an image of this can be seen at:
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/aconi007-l.jpg
Susan Tudor-Coulson
Abbotswood Close
Winyates Green
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