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Solanum carolinense / Carolina Horse Nettle at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC
an adorably toxic nightshade
Devil's potato is sometimes called bull nettle. However, it's almost always referred to as horsenettle. (Come on you can't blame me for leading with DEVIL'S POTATO.) It is toxic to humans and farm animals.
If the flowers and berries remind you of tomatoes' it's because our favorite red vegetablefruit is also a nightshade, along with potatoes, eggplants and bell peppers. Fear not, the levels of bothersome alkaloids in typically consumed nightshades shouldn't cause you any trouble. But don't eat the green parts of potatoes just in case.
When I first took these images, I had no idea what the plant was. I also didn't see any of it's tiny thorns. Luckily, no one got stabbed.
Solanum carlinense. St. Charles County, MO 2013.
