nightshade

[ nahyt-sheyd ]

/ ˈnaɪtˌʃeɪd /

any of various plants of the genus Solanum, especially the black nightshade or the bittersweet.

any of various other related plants, as the deadly nightshade.

Origin of nightshade

before 1000; Middle English; Old English nihtscada. See night, shade

Both have an eerie aspect, as if turned upside down, as has also the Nightshade.

Old-Time Gardens |Alice Morse Earle
Circa alpina (enchanter's nightshade), very common in woods.

The Maine Woods |Henry David Thoreau
Slavery was a noxious plant, deadlier than the nightshade, and it poisoned the South.

The Battle of Principles |Newell Dwight Hillis
It is the cold spirit of routine which is the nightshade of our nature.

The Continental Monthly, Vol III, Issue VI, June, 1863 |Various

There is no more shame or guilt connected with them than with the malaria of the swamp or the poison of the nightshade.

The World's Great Sermons, Volume 9: Cuyler to Van Dyke |Various

nightshade

/ (ˈnaɪtˌʃeɪd) /

any of various solanaceous plants, such as deadly nightshade, woody nightshade, and black nightshade

Old English nihtscada, apparently night + shade, referring to the poisonous or soporific qualities of these plants