The ripe berries are not poisonous. Black nightshade is widely distributed. 11 Mountain laurel is an evergreen shrub of the Appalachian Mountain region. Plants grow five-feet tall and have glossy green leaves. Flowers appear in clusters at the ends of branches.
Livestock eat the leaves in early spring when little other foliage is available.
Weakness, nausea, salivation and vomitting are symptoms of poisoning. The preventative is to keep livestock out of areas where mountain laurel is abundant. Fortunately these plants are unpalatable for most wild and domestic animals. Water hemlock and poison hemlock are deadly. Poisoning rarely occurs except in early spring when young plants are accidentally eaten, but the roots, stems, leaves and flowers are always poisonous.