Flowers like a Potato, Small, with Thorns

**Chris** · 07-23-2009, 08:59 PM

I saw a plant out running with flowers exactly like a potato, it was short, 18 inches, and buried in a mound of other plants. I went in to get a closer look, pull it out to examine the leaves, and it had a huge thorn on it, ouch!

Any idea what it could be? I'm curious, I've never seen it before.

**Rick** · 07-23-2009, 09:04 PM

Saw Greenbriar? Maybe? Do you have a picture?

**crashdive123** · 07-23-2009, 09:11 PM

Chris - not sure if it's the same thing, but I've got wild potato vines in my backyard (very invasive). As the vine matures many of them do get thorns.

**Rick** · 07-23-2009, 10:38 PM

The flowers on wild potato are very distinctive. They are white with a purple center. I posted some in the database, I think.

EDIT: Yeah, here it is:

http://www.wildcrafting.net/forage/plant/2/

I've never seen briars/thorns on wild potato. I'm not saying they don't have them. I've just never seen them. I'll have to look for that.

**ClayPick** · 07-23-2009, 10:45 PM

You might have seen a Litchi tomato. I've only seen them once.

**crashdive123** · 07-24-2009, 05:36 AM

I'll take some pics of what I'm calling wild potato vines.

**crashdive123** · 07-24-2009, 01:22 PM

OK - I verified a few of things. They are wild potato vines, but I've never seen them flower. They are extremely invasive. The potatoes will form below ground, on top of the ground and arial - hanging from the vine. The vines do not have thorns (some other invasive type that seems to cohabit the same areas. Here are some pics of this particular variety of wild potato vine. I clear them out about every two weeks. They get into and onto everything.

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**Rick** · 07-24-2009, 03:27 PM

We have an area near our home where the wild potato vine is 30 feet up in a tree. They grow everywhere around here. You can look at the picture in the link above to see what the flower looks like. They are really quite attractive with a deep purple center on a white background.

**Chris** · 07-27-2009, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by ClayPick

You might have seen a Litchi tomato. I've only seen them once.

Yup, looks like it.

http://www.motherearthsgarden.com/wh...-tomato-plant/

That is what I saw.

The question is, what is it doing growing in the wild here in zone 5?

**crashdive123** · 07-27-2009, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Chris

The question is, what is it doing growing in the wild here in zone 5?

Global warming........or a neglected childhood.

**Rick** · 07-27-2009, 06:11 PM

Or another danged squirrel thief.

**2dumb2kwit** · 07-27-2009, 07:58 PM

I'm still trying to figure out why Chris was "running with flowers".

**Rick** · 07-27-2009, 09:03 PM

Sssssssssh. He pays the light and water bill around here. He stops paying it's gonna get awfully dark and we'll get mighty thirsty. I don't type well in the dark, either.

**crashdive123** · 07-27-2009, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

Sssssssssh. He pays the light and water bill around here. He stops paying it's gonna get awfully dark and we'll get mighty thirsty. I don't type well in the dark, either.

That would be just terrible.

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**2dumb2kwit** · 07-27-2009, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by Rick

Sssssssssh. He pays the light and water bill around here. He stops paying it's gonna get awfully dark and we'll get mighty thirsty. I don't type well in the dark, either.

But, but, I was being polite.
I waited until the question was answered.

**Chris** · 07-30-2009, 04:10 AM

actually, I think it is carolina horsenettle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_carolinense

How did I figure it out? Used wildcrafting search for the genus name, solanum, and all plants that grow in Michigan! See, the new site is useful.

It makes more sense that it be that rather than litchi tomato, though they look very very similar, because this is growing wild in a bit of a thicket, not cultivated. It is also good to know, the plant is not edible.