Seasonal Wild Flowers

Cock's Eggs

Salpichroa origanifolia

Pampas Lily-of-the-valley, Lily-of-the-valley Vine

Solanaceae

June to October

It is very thinly scattered from the Midlands southwards.

See the BSBI distribution map for Cock's Eggs

It is a neophyte, Introduced from South America as a garden

plant and is naturalised on waste and disturbed ground

Cock’s Eggs is a perennial, sprawling, spreading, rhizomatous,

ground-covering, vine-like herb, growing up to 1.5m.

The flower is white, bell-shaped and up to 1cm across.

The white berry (not shown) is up to 1.5cm across.

Leaves are twisted ovals, green, slightly fleshy and up to 2.5cm

The stems are much branched - forming dense stands of ground

cover.

Like many of the Solanaceae, Cock’s Eggs produces toxic

chemicals, in this case, anolides.

It is a notifiable invasive weed in the USA and parts of Australia.

Cock's Eggs on waste ground, Abbotsbury, Dorset

Side view of flower

View of corolla, style and stigma

Leaves - ground cover

Close-up of leaves