When actress Alicia Silverstone recently visited England, she was stumped as to what an unknown plant was. She posed the question on TikTok – where fans and followers promptly reprimanded Silverstone for nibbling on the plant in question.
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In her TikTok post, which is still online at the time of writing, Silverstone says, “Okay, I’ve spotted something that I don’t know what it is and I need your help.” She then reveals that the something in question is a small, orange fruit with seeds inside. Silverstone bit into the mystery fruit before asking her fans for help identifying it. In a British accent, she jokes that she knows it’s not a “toe-mah-toe” because the plant has unique leaves.
@aliciasilverstone What the hell is this? I’m in England and I can’t figure it out. 🤔
♬ Original sound – Alicia Silverstone
Users quickly identified the fruit as a Jerusalem cherry. While it’s small, red, and delicious-looking, it’s not a true cherry. Rather, this plant is part of the black nightshade family – and can be poisonous if ingested. Luckily, Silverstone only took one bite, because if she had eaten more, it would have had devastating effects on her digestive system and even her nervous system.
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Resources to check if a plant is edible
Alicia Silverstone became a vegan in 1998 and is a vocal advocate of a plant-based diet. It’s understandable that a long-time home gardener like her would be curious about an unfamiliar plant. But biting into said plant is the last thing you should do, as some plants can be toxic to humans.
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While many common fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and potatoes, belong to the nightshade family and are completely edible, black nightshades are poisonous. In addition to Jerusalem artichokes, black nightshades also include belladonna and tobacco.
So what should you do if you come across a strange plant and want to eat it? There are a wealth of online plant identification resources. iNaturalist is an official forum where curious minds can submit photos and search other people’s submissions for similar images. Pl@ntNet offers similar photo identification resources in an app-based format. But Google’s image search function also provides viable answers. Ultimately, though, the best option is to learn from an experienced collector rather than trying your luck with online resources.
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