Buffalo-bur Nightshade

Solanum rostratum

Found in disturbed areas, especially overgrazed pastures and feedlots. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height: 1–3 feet
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to wet

Solanum rostratum — flower photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

Bloom: recorded only in the FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team) phone app (app page).

Spread and leaves: no source found yet.

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 18 Virginia counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

63CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Solanum

Abagrotis alternataGreater Red Dart, Mottled Grey Cutworm
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
Automeris ioIo Moth
Bellura obliquaCattail Border Moth, Cattail Diver

Show all 63

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
Euxoa detersaRubbed Dart, Sandhill Cutworm
Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
Euzophera ostricolorellaTulip-Tree Borer, Root Collar borer
Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia subgothicaSubgothic 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
Lacanobia subjunctaSpeckled Arches, Subdues Arches, Harnessed Mamestra, Speckled Cutworm Moth, Grand Arches?(incorrectly)
Lineodes integraEggplant Leafroller
Lipocosma sicalisBrown-Banded Lipocosmodes
Manduca quinquemaculatusFive-Spotted Hawkmoth, Tomato Hornworm
Manduca sextaCarolina Sphinx, Tomatoe Sphinx, Tobacco Hornworm
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Papaipema nelitaConeflower Borer
Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Synanthedon rileyanaRiley's Clearwing
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist 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

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

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)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Buffalo Bur Nightshade

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	G5?
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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