View photos of the poisonous plant, Solanum xanti (Purple nightshade).
Like other Solanum species, the foliage contains solanine and related alkaloids (poisonous). The fruit (green-yellow) also likely harbor this alkaloid group.
View photos of the edible plant, Solanum americanum (Black nightshade), profiled in the Wild Edible Series: California: Vol 1.
The mature black fruit are edible. All other parts contain varying amounts of solanine.
View photos of the edible plant, Solanum douglasii (Douglas nightshade), profiled in the Wild Edible Series: California: Vol 1.
A passage from Wild Edible Plants of California, Volume 1:
Needing no preparation, the berries are fine
eaten alone as a forage or added to salads and the like. They too make a fine cooked item; for instance, added
to stews and vegetable combinations.
