NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 



flowers from which project the stamens and pistil united 

 in a brilliantly yellow cone. Later appear oval green 

 berries, of undesirable reputation that finally turn a bril- 

 liant ruby red. For, they it is, which, because of their 

 likeness to currants, lure children to eat them. They are 

 seriously, but not necessarily, fatally, poisonous. From 

 the plant is derived a valuable drug. 



On account of the overlapping of popular names, this 

 is not to be confused with another Bittersweet (Celastrus 

 scandens) which is a twining shrub and bears very small 

 green flowers. 



SOLANACE^E NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 



Solanum nigrum, L. 



White Deadly Nightshade, 



Black Nightshade, 



Berries Black Garden Nightshade, 



Poison Berry. 



July-October 



Solanum: for derivation see Dulcamara. 

 Nigrum: Latin for black. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: roadsides in town, waste 

 ground, barnyards. 



THE PLANT: erect, one foot to two and a half feet high; 

 the stem without hairs or with few, short, soft hairs. 



THE LEAVES: alternate; ovate; more or less equilateral; 

 acute or tapering to a point at the apex; narrowed or 

 rounded at the base; petioled; entire or toothed; wavy- 

 margined. 



THE FLOWERS: small, three to ten in umbels; calyx-lobes 

 persistent at the base of the berry. 



THE FRUIT: berries, green at first, black \vhen ripe, globose 

 and hairless, with a faint odour and a sweet, nauseous taste. 



