What is the common name of the plant Atropa belladonna?

The common name of Atropa belladonna is deadly nightshade. It is a poisonous perennial herb in the nightshade family, Solanaceae, and is also widely called belladonna. Its dark berries and foliage contain tropane alkaloids including atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine.

Deadly nightshade is native to Europe and parts of western Asia, with a range extending from England toward the Caucasus and Iran. Carl Linnaeus published the name Atropa bella-donna in 1753. The genus honors Atropos, one of the Greek Fates, who cut the thread of life; bella-donna means “beautiful woman” in Italian.

That Italian name reflects the plant’s historical cosmetic use. Renaissance women were reputed to use belladonna preparations to dilate their pupils, an effect caused by atropine blocking the eye’s normal pupil-constricting signals. The practice was dangerous and could cause blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, poisoning, or worse.

A frequent mix-up is confusing deadly nightshade with black nightshade. Deadly nightshade usually bears larger, glossy berries singly, while black nightshade produces smaller berries in clusters. Similar names such as bittersweet nightshade refer to different Solanum species.