Erect, clonal perennial herb to 1 m, often suckering, silvery-green, rarely rusty-green, densely pubescent with stellate hairs; prickles 2–5 mm long, usually on stems, less common elsewhere.  

Leaves oblong-lanceolate to oblong; lamina 2.5–10 cm long, 1–3 cm wide, sometimes larger, slightly discolorous, entire (upper leaves) to shallowly lobed (lower leaves); petiole 5–10 mm long.

Inflorescence 1–4–flowered; peduncle 5–10 mm long; rachis 20–30 mm long; pedicels c. 10 mm long, lengthened in fruit. Calyx 9–10 mm long, enlarged in fruit; tube 5–ribbed; lobes awl-shaped, 4–5 mm long. Corolla rotate-stellate, 20–30 mm diam., blue, rarely white, pink or deep purple. Anthers 5–8 mm long.  

Berry depressed globular, 8–14 mm diam., orange-brown; fruiting pedicels 20–30 mm long. Seeds 2.5–4 mm long, light brown. n=12.

Native to south-western U.S.A., northern Mexico and temperate South America, now introduced to Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Naturalised in south-eastern Qld, western slopes and southern plains of N.S.W., Vic., southern S.A. and south-western W.A.; occasional in southern N.T.

Usually a weed of cereal land and pasture. S. elaeagnifolium is on the list of Declared Plants for N.S.W., Vic., Tas., S.A. and W.A. (See Navie, S. (2004). Declared Plants of Australia. (Centre for Biological Information Technology, Brisbane).  

A declared noxious weed in Qld, Vic., Tas and S.A. Silver-leaved Nightshade remains a significant weed in cereal growing areas. Much effort has been concentrated on its control. An account of its weedy qualities is given in W.T. Parsons & E.G. Cuthbertson, Noxious Weeds of Australia, Inkata Press, Melbourne (1992) but for a full account of its biology see J.W.Heap & R.J.Carter, Plant Protection Quarterly 14 (1999) 2-12.

For extra images and background information of it as a Declared Plant see Navie, S. (2004). Declared Plants of Australia. An identification and information system. (Centre for Biological Information Technology, Brisbane).