Hyoscyamus niger
Black henbane
(c) Christina s.l., some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Solanaceae · Type: Herb
Hyoscyamus niger (Black henbane) is a California herb in the Solanaceae family, recognized by Occasional waif representing a Eurasian genus not otherwise naturalized in California.
Black henbane is a naturalized annual plant found in disturbed sites at elevations up to 1,800 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces cream to pale yellow or greenish yellow flowers with purple veins, approximately 25 to 45 millimeters wide, with wide rounded lobes. Growing with erect stems 30 to 120 centimeters tall that branch with ascending branches, it has an aromatic quality. Its leaves range from 5 to 30 centimeters long, with lower leaves having stalks while mid and upper leaves clasp the stem, displaying widely lanceolate to ovate shapes with coarsely toothed or deeply lobed edges. The fruit is a capsule 10 to 15 millimeters long that opens with a distinctive circumscissile lid.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Occasional waif representing a Eurasian genus not otherwise naturalized in California
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed sites
Elevation: <= 1800 m
Outside California: to eastern United States, Canada, native to Eurasia, also introduced in South America, southern Africa, Australia
Bloom period
Hyoscyamus niger blooms May-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Datura: Hyoscyamus has dull yellow, purple-veined funnel flowers 2-3 cm in a leafy one-sided raceme and a lidded capsule enclosed in an urn calyx; Datura (jimsonweed) has large white-to-violet trumpet flowers 5-20 cm and a spiny egg-shaped capsule.; vs Nicotiana: Hyoscyamus has coarsely lobed clasping leaves and a persistent, spiny-toothed urn-shaped fruiting calyx; Nicotiana (tobacco) has entire leaves and tubular flowers with a non-inflated calyx.; vs Physalis: Hyoscyamus fruit is a dry lidded capsule seated in a bristly urn calyx; Physalis fruit is a berry enclosed in an inflated papery lantern husk.; vs Nicandra: Hyoscyamus has yellow-purple funnel flowers and a dry pyxis; Nicandra (apple-of-Peru) has pale blue bell flowers and a berry within a 5-angled inflated calyx.; vs Solanum: Hyoscyamus has funnel-shaped flowers in a coiled leafy raceme and a lidded capsule; Solanum has wheel-shaped flowers with a cone of joined yellow anthers and a berry.
Frequently asked questions
When does Hyoscyamus niger bloom?
Hyoscyamus niger blooms May-Sep.
What plant family does Hyoscyamus niger belong to?
Hyoscyamus niger is in the Solanaceae family, genus Hyoscyamus.
What habitat does Hyoscyamus niger grow in?
Hyoscyamus niger grows in Disturbed sites.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.