Johnson County Secondary Roads Horse Nettle Weed

Horse Nettle (Solanunum carolinense)

Description: Horsenettle, also called "bull nettle" is a perennial reproducing by seed and rhizomes. It is a deep-rooted plant reaching up to 8 feet in depth. It has horizontal rootstocks from which the plant spreads. The stem is erect, loosely branched, and covered with gray hairs and yellow spines. The plants grow from ½ to 2 feet tall. The leaves are dark green, egg-shaped, pointed on the tip, and sharply lobed or wavy-toothed. The tomato-like flowers are 5-lobed, violet, and borne in 1-sided clusters. The berry is 3/8 to 5/8 inch in diameter, yellow, juicy, naked and contains numerous seeds. The seeds are about 1/16th inch in diameter, irregularly oval, flattened, glossy yellow, and granular. The plant blooms from June to September and matures seed from July to September.

Distribution: Horsenettle is found throughout Iowa and Johnson County. This weed prefers sandy soils, and grows in meadows, pastures, waste places, and cultivated fields.

What’s The Problem?: Horsenettle can seriously poison livestock and even humans if ingested. The berries are the most toxic part of the plant. Horsenettle also competes for sunlight and nutrients with other native plants.

Management Methods: Methods of horsenettle control fall into three categories: cultural, such as crop rotation, mechanical, such as tillage with plows, disks, or cultivators, and chemical, using herbicides. Control of horsenettle may require a combination of all of these methods. Always use herbicides carefully and be sure to read the label.

Photo couresy of Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains published by Nebraska Department of Agriculture

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