Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense)
A warm season perennial, Carolina horse nettle can grow to 2 feet tall. It has dark green leaves that are sharply lobed with a pointed tip. Carolina horse nettle has large spines on the stems and leaves. Each of its mostly oval leaves has several teeth or shallow lobes on both sides. Horse nettle has clusters of white to purple flowers and they bloom May to October. Horse nettle also produces a fruit that is about 1/2 inch in diameter; it is green with light green vertical bands until maturity, when it becomes yellow. Carolina horse nettle can be toxic to livestock. The toxicity may depend upon the maturity of the plants, because more toxins are present in the fruits than in the leaves. Hay and silage containing the mature plants can cause poisoning and death of livestock. Optimum time for control is during bloom.
Carolina Horsenettle Fruit
Select Herbicide Options:
Weedmaster
Duracor
GrazonNext HL
Grazon P+D
Pasturall HL
Surmount
Chaparral (for bermudagrass pastures, will destroy bahiagrass)
Pastora (for bermudagrass pastures, will destroy bahiagrass)
REMEMBER: THE LABEL IS THE LAW! Always read the pesticide label before using.
Vanessa Corriher-Olson
Professor, Forage Extension Specialist
Soil & Crop Sciences
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Overton,TX
903-834-6191