ball nightshade
- noun
- /bɔl ˈnaɪtʃeɪd/
- US
:
mala madre
- The yellow berries of the ball nightshade are sometimes mistaken for edible fruit, but they can be toxic.
Examples
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Gardeners often struggle to remove ball nightshade because of its tough, prickly stems.
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The field was overrun by ball nightshade after the heavy rains in early summer.
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The ball nightshade is often found in abandoned fields.
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Some gardeners consider ball nightshade a nuisance.
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Gardeners often struggle to remove ball nightshade because of its tough, prickly stems.
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The yellow berries of the ball nightshade are sometimes mistaken for edible fruit, but they can be toxic.
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The field was overrun by ball nightshade after the heavy rains in early summer.
Synonyms
A prickly weed with pale yellow flowers and yellow berry-like fruit found in the southeastern United States
A prickly weed that lives many years with pale yellow flowers and yellow berries, often in fields and gardens
A prickly plant with pale yellow flowers and poisonous yellow berries that can irritate the skin
A rough prickly plant from North America with pale yellow flowers and small berries
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun–noun compound: 'nightshade' names a plant and 'ball' describes a spherical quality (the berrylike fruit). A B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a type of nightshade with round/ball-like berries, so the meaning is compositional and transparent.
Etymology
Ball nightshade gets its name from the plant's round ball-like yellow berries and from nightshade, a name for plants that are often 'poisonous'. That's why the name helps you remember it is a prickly 'weed' with toxic fruit.
