Nightshade plants also need light

Most people have heard of nightshade plants, but what kind of plants are they exactly? In addition to potatoes and tomatoes, bell peppers, tobacco plants and eggplants are all members of the nightshade family, reports the German newspaper 'Weser Kurier' on their website.

"The origin of the name 'nightshade' is unclear," says plant ecologist Hansjörg Küster from the University of Hanover. The name has been interpreted in many different ways. A German language specialist Johann Christoph Adelung (1732-1806) claimed the origin of the name came from the harmful headache that would come at night after inhaling the strong smell of the nightshade's blossoms, and in which nightmares would wake you up. According to another explanation nightshade plants were explicitly used to ward off nightmares. In any case, both explanations connect 'nightshade' to nightmare. Some of the nightshade plants themselves could have been used in part of the naming process since they are very dark, and even as black as night in some cases. In any case one thing is clear: just like other plants, nightshade plants need light to grow.