Plant Found During Cooler Weather May Be Toxic

Q. Found a plant growing under my fig tree. It has sticky leaves, tiny white flowers, and clusters of small green balls. Any idea what it might be?

This picture was sent to me. I am guessing it is one of the nightshades.

A. I could not make out the plant from the pictures you sent so let me take an educated guess. Toxic black nightshade is a common weed that grows when the temperatures begin to cool off. It has 3/8 inch in diameter white flowers that resemble tomato flowers and produces immature green fruit that are ball shaped that vary from 3/8 to ½ inch in diameter. These green “balls” of fruit turn darker and sometimes black when they mature.

I am guessing the weed is toxic black nightshade which is a common weed during the cooler fall weather. If it's sticky it might have aphids. Regardless it doesn't belong near fruit trees. Get rid of it.

Toxic black nightshade found growing in the Orchard at Ahern.

            If the plant attracts aphids, then it can get sticky due to aphid “poop” from sucking the internal juices of the plant. Even though the plant is poisonous, aphids do like this plant. Like any weed growing near fruit trees, pull it when the soil is moist and get rid of it. Otherwise, the aphids will ride the winter out at about soil level as it gets colder and spread to your fruit trees in the spring. I thought I saw rocks around the fig tree. Make sure you rake the rocks back, put a thin layer of compost down and water it in to enrich the soil.

Nightshade with small green balls (fruit)