Buffalo-bur Nightshade
Solanum rostratum
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in disturbed areas, especially overgrazed pastures and feedlots. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
72
Strong
Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 82%
- Height
- 1–3 feet
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to wet
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 12 Louisiana parishes.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
61CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Solanum
- Abagrotis alternataGreater Red Dart, Mottled Grey Cutworm
- Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
- Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
- Agrotis malefidaRascal Dart, Pale-Sided Cut-Worm, Shagreened Cut-Worm
- Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
- Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
- Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
- Automeris ioIo Moth
- Autoplusia egenaBean-Leaf Skeletonizer Moth
- Bellura obliquaCattail Border Moth, Cattail Diver
Show all 61
- Chloridea subflexaSubflexus Straw, Groundcherry Sun Moth
- Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
- Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
- Clepsis peritanaGarden Tortrix
- Diaphania hyalinataMelonworm Moth
- Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
- Enigmogramma basigeraPink-Washed Looper Moth
- Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
- Euzophera ostricolorellaTulip-Tree Borer, Root Collar borer
- Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
- Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
- Feltia repletaReplete Dart
- Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
- Frumenta nundinellaMottled Twirler
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
- Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
- Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
- Hymenia perspectalisSpotted Beet Webworm
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Keiferia glochinellaEgg Plant Leaf-Miner, Tomato Leaf-Folder
- Keiferia inconspicuellaEgg Plant Leaf-Miner, Tomato Leaf-Folder
- Lascoria orneodalisEnigmatic Moth
- Lineodes integraEggplant Leafroller
- Lipocosma sicalisBrown-Banded Lipocosmodes
- Manduca quinquemaculatusFive-Spotted Hawkmoth, Tomato Hornworm
- Manduca sextaCarolina Sphinx, Tomatoe Sphinx, Tobacco Hornworm
- Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
- Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
- Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
- Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
- Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
- Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
- Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
- Rhectocraspeda periusalisEggplant Webworm
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Spodoptera albulaWhite-Spotted Armyworm, Gray-Streaked Armyworm
- Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
- Symmetrischema striatellaStreaked Twirler
- Synanthedon rileyanaRiley's Clearwing
- Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
- Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
- Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
- Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
8BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Solanum
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
37BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Solanum
- Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
- Alectoris chukarChukar
- Anser albifronsGreater White-fronted Goose
- Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
- Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
- Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
- Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
- Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
- Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
- Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Show all 37
- Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
- Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
- Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
- Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
- Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
- Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
- Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
- Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
- Passerculus sandwichensisSavannah Sparrow
- Perdix perdixGray Partridge
- Pheucticus ludovicianusRose-breasted Grosbeak
- Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
- Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
- Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
- Sialia mexicanaWestern Bluebird
- Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
- Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
- Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
- Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
- Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
- Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
- Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
- Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
- Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
- Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
- Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
- Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Flower color
- Yellow
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “1–3 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Life cycle · “Annual” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as
Buffalo Bur Nightshade
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5? |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications