Wow this is very disturbing news, if true.

OP Quote:
We had a few plants growing around the Van Vorst dog run but were able to remove them without incident. Please be aware of these plants and stay clear. There have been reports of smaller dogs eating the berries and getting very sick due to the toxins in the berries and dying.


This is the first I have heard about any small dogs, (or large) getting sick and or dying from eating plants around the Van Vorst park dog run. Has anyone spoke to Marc about this?

I would love for him to weight in on this discussion.

I've heard anecdotes from a few acquaintances who have ingested belladonna for the purposes of getting high (both old hippies.) Neither recommend it.

Nightshade is a plant genus, is it not? Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.? I believe there is a plant within this genus that is used as a butterfly bush, so maybe that's why?

Just keep your dogs and children away from the bushes, I bet you'll be OK.


As for Jimson Weed, I know of a place locally that it grows wild, I kinda want it, haha.

Jimson Weed is a different guy. Belladonna=deadly nightshade= atropa belladonna.

Super nerd fact- Atropine is used to combat the effects of nerve gas and is what gets dripped into your eyes at the eye doctor to open up your pupil for any number of tests/proceedures.

Jimson weed also has an alkaloid, but I don't know if it's the same stuff or not. Both are bad news if you eat em. I've never heard of anyone eating belladonna to get high- just low, as in under the ground.

Wow, if our city officials are tripping on Jimson Weed, that would explain just aout everything...Did they follow the law when you reported it? 26:2-82.1. Wild, cultivated or hidden growth of stramonium; certification; destruction a. In order to protect the health, morals and welfare of the State of New Jersey, wherever the prosecutor of any county of the State of New Jersey receives information that wild, cultivated or hidden growth of beds of alleged stramonium are located anywhere within his county, he shall immediately communicate the information to the State Department of Health, and the department, upon receipt of the information, shall immediately dispatch one of its agents to the location who shall make an examination and determination of the alleged stramonium weed so as to determine the existence or nonexistence of stramonium at the location. The department shall immediately communicate by writing its determination to the prosecutor. b. Upon certification by the department of the existence of stramonium at the location examined by the department, the prosecutor is empowered to dispatch one of his agents to the location so certified and the agent shall destroy the stramonium. The prosecutor or his agent shall not be civilly responsible in any manner whatsoever for destruction of the stramonium. c. As used in this section, "stramonium" means the plant Datura Stramonium Linne, including Datura Tatula Linne. L.1981, c. 441, s. 6, eff. Jan. 9, 1982.

Actually, horribly poisonous to everyone, not just dogs & kids.

Belladonna is the more interesting name...don't mess with pretty lady :)

Surprising that it's growing with such vigor in these places- They usually show up in low-traffic areas. Makes you wonder. The seeds aren't "flyers". I'm not sure how they'd spread from one place to the other in a city.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2008/10/28/dsnite_1.jpg

http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/ ... adly-nightshade-31931.jpg


Are you sure it's what you think it is?

I wonder if they were planted there as a deterrent for unruly or uninvited animals.

There is an abundant growth of a weed called deadly nightshade on the right side of city hall growing in the shrubs. These purple flowers and especially the berries are very toxic and thus poisonous when eaten. I alerted some of the people who work in city hall and they said the city grounds people were responsible to take care of it.

We had a few plants growing around the Van Vorst dog run but were able to remove them without incident. Please be aware of these plants and stay clear. There have been reports of smaller dogs eating the berries and getting very sick due to the toxins in the berries and dying.

The plants are vine-like, have small purple flowers with yellow spots in the center and have green and reddish berries. Hopefully the city workers will remove these poisonous plants before they are eaten by a child or dog.