This species is native to the East Coast and was named by the early settlers. The common name is a modification of `Jamestown weed.` As with many other members of the nightshade family, the plant is toxic in large doses but narcotic and hallucinogenic in smaller quantities. It, therefore, tends to occur in some unusual sites, such as flower beds on college campuses, as well as being a weed of rangeland. An article in the June 18, 1992 Wall Street Journal claims this species can digest radioactive waste!