American nightshade (Solanum americanum) is a herbaceous flowering plant native to the Americas, from the south and west of the United States south to Paraguay and Peru; it also occurs in Hawaii, where it is considered possibly indigenous or may be a Polynesian introduction. It is used as a medicinal in Cameroon, Kenya, Hawaii, Panama, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania, and as a wild or cultivated pot herb in Cameroon, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Sierra Leone, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. It grows up to 1-1.5 meters (39-59 inches) tall and is an annual or short-lived perennial. The leaves are alternate on the branch, and vary greatly in size, up to 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) long and 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) broad, with a 4-centimeter (1.6 inches) petiole and a coarsely wavy or toothed margin. The flowers are about 1 centimeter diameter, white or occasionally light purple, with yellow stamens. The fruit is a shiny black berry 5-10 millimeters (0.20-0.39 inches) diameter, containing numerous small seeds.