Cestrum parqui, commonly known as green cestrum, green poison berry, or Chilean cestrum and is sometimes incorrectly referred to as deadly nightshade

Deadly nightshade

Atropa belladonna or Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as Belladonna, Devil's Berries, Death Cherries or Deadly Nightshade, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Solanaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic, containing tropane...

 in some areas, is a species in the family Solanaceae

Solanaceae

Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...

 that is native to central and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

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Cestrum parqui is an upright straggly woody perennial shrub 2-3 metres tall with one or more brittle green stems. Light green leaves are alternate and shiny green to 12 cm long, giving off a foul rubbery smell when crushed. It has sprays of small tubular yellow-green flowers approximately 2.5 cm long on end of stems, flowering from late spring to autumn. These produce clusters of small, black egg shaped berries during summer to autumn.

Green cestrum is highly attractive to birds, and seedlings are often found growing under perching trees, along fencelines and on creek banks. It is also dispersed by water.

Spread by birds, it invades gardens, rural lands and bushland. It has a deep and persistent taproot. This weed is considered a major problem because of its toxicity to livestock

Livestock

Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...

 (especially cattle) and poultry which eat green cestrum when there is a shortage of other feed. All parts of the plant material, stems, leaves, berries and even partly burnt roots pose a serious threat to livestock. Death is usually rapid and painful. The plant is also known to be toxic to other livestock and humans.

This species is defined as a noxious plant in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

under the Noxious Weeds Act, 1993 and all plants must be destroyed.