No. 31. DATURA. 14^7 



nodding, large, white or blueish. Calix monophylle, 

 tubular, with five angles and teeth, deciduous, but 

 leaving a rim at the base. Corolla twice as long, 

 monopetalous, base tubular, subangular, limb with 

 five angles, plaits and teeth, these last are acuminate. 

 Stamina five, filaments coherent with the tube, fili- 

 form, equal, anthers oblong erect. . Germen central, 

 free, but the base concrete with the persistent rim of 

 the calix, oval, hairy; one style filfform, as long as 

 the stamina, one stigma bilobe at the base or sub- 

 reniform. Fruit a large fleshy capsule, ovate, thorny, 

 with four valves opening at the top, inside with four 

 cells. Many black seeds filling each cell, and at- 

 tached to a central receptacle in each cell, shape 

 reniform. 



HISTORY— The Genus Datura belongs to the 

 LuRiDES of Linnseus or Solanea of Jussieu ; but 

 ought to be the type of a peculiar family Daturines, 

 hardly different from the Convolvulides, except by 

 having equal stamina. It is one of the numerous 

 genera of the linnean Fentandria monogynia. 



Some obscurity appear to exist on this species and 

 several others, owing to mistakes of the best botanists. 

 Linnaeus blended the Datura tatula of Africa, with a 

 variety oiD. Stramonium^ and the D. ?72e?e7 hardly 

 difiers from both. Individual varieties answering to 

 these three species, are found in the United States; 

 but they have all the same properties, as well as the 

 D.fastuosa and D.ferox of the East Indies. The 

 following varieties are common with us, and are 

 linked by imperceptible changes. 



