‘Clueless’ Star Alicia Silverstone Accidentally Ate a Poisonous Berry From a Stranger’s Yard—Here’s How To Spot It Around Your Home

“Clueless” star Alicia Silverstone suffered a truly “clueless” moment when she plucked an unknown berry out of a stranger’s yard and popped it into her mouth—only to later discover that the mystery fruit was poisonous.

In a video posted to her Instagram account on Aug. 19, Silverstone, 47, who is based in Los Angeles, asked fans to help her identify the seed-filled snack, which she spotted growing outside of an unknown person’s home in London.

Her post was quickly flooded with comments from concerned followers, many of whom warned the starlet to avoid eating mysterious fruit, while others helped her to identify the berry as a particularly nasty specimen.

“OK I’ve discovered something [and] I can’t figure out what it is, and I need your help,” the actress and mother of one said at the start of the clip.

Holding up a half-eaten orange berry, she then admitted: “I just bit into it.”

A mysterious snack

Silverstone panned the camera to capture the plant on which the berries had been growing, revealing that she happened upon it while strolling along a street in the British capital.

“I was on the street and we were discussing whether this was a tomato or not,” she went on. “It’s definitely not—because look at these leaves.”

She then turns and points the camera at the plant sitting behind a wrought-iron gate, where the plant in question can be seen housed in a large terra-cotta pot. The plant features multiple tomato-like berries, which can be found in shades of green, orange, yellow, and red.

“Those are the leaves. So what the heck is this? Because, when you open it up, it looks like that,” Silverstone noted, while pointing to a berry that she had accidentally dropped on the ground.

Totally ‘clueless’

Despite admitting that she had no clue what the berry was, Silverstone proceeded to bite into yet another piece of the fruit while on camera, nibbling on the flesh, while joking: “I don’t think you’re supposed to eat this.”

As she chews the berry, she informs her followers that it tastes “almost like a pepper,” but concedes that figuring out the flavor profile did little to help with the identification of the berry.

Before ending the video, Silverstone issues one final plea for assistance, asking her followers: “Does anyone know what this is? I don’t know what this is. I need someone to tell me.”

‘Don’t eat anymore’

While Silverstone’s video was light-hearted in tone, the responses she received were anything but jovial.

Her fans were quick to help her identify the berry, while also warning the actress to never eat them again, revealing that the plant in question is actually toxic—and therefore definitely not edible.

“It’s a Jerusalem cherry … Solanum pseudocapsicum … it’s an ornamental so don’t eat anymore,” one wrote.

Another replied, “Stop eating fruits from unknown sources, ma’am.”

Yet another commented, “Lmaoooo ‘I don’t think you’re supposed to eat this’ and she continues to eat it. The most relatable.”

Poisonous plant

If the plant has been accurately identified, then it appears to be Solanum pseudocapsicum, a nightshade species with mildly poisonous fruit. It’s commonly known as the Jerusalem cherry, Madeira winter cherry, or winter cherry.

According to the Queensland Poison Information Centre website, “All parts of the plant are poisonous, especially the unripe fruits.”

The website also ominously notes, “If plant or fruit is eaten, early symptoms can include fever, sweating, vomiting, stomach pain, headache and increased heart rate. Symptoms are delayed for several hours and can persist for days.”

It goes on to say, “Death has been reported” and “Allergic skin reactions may occur in sensitive individuals.”

The decorative berry can often be seen in arrangements around Christmas and “is a plant with glossy blue-green leaves and fruits that look similar to cherry tomatoes,” according to the Northern New England Poison Center. The berries “are harmful to eat.”

‘Don’t worry’

Fans were alarmed and asked her to let them know she wasn’t harmed in the poison berry incident. Silverstone confirmed she’s just fine in the following post.

“Alive and well! Don’t worry…”

While her followers were certainly relieved to hear the news, one cautioned, “ALICIA! Stop eating mystery veggies out of someone else’s street garden!”