186 NIGHTSHADE FAMILY (POTATO FAMILY) 



NIGHTSHADE FAMILY (POTATO FAMILY) 



(Solanaceae) 



Herbaceous plants and shrubs. Flowers yellow, lavender, or 

 white, equally 4-5-lobed, stamens 4-5. Leaves alternate. 



SoLANUMS (Genus Solarium) 



If one will examine attentively a flower of the common 

 Irish potato (a Solanum) it will prove an aid in identify- 

 ing our more common plants of this family, since the 

 flowers of our wild solanums are formed on the same plan. 



The genus is large, and great diversity is shown in the 

 species. The common nightshade of northern states, S, 

 nigrum, with small white flowers and black berries, grows 

 in waste places, as do the coarse prickly weeds known as 

 horse nettles, which bear conspicuous red or orange ber- 

 ries. Tall, shrubby solanums are found in thickets of 

 southern Florida, and exotic vines of this genus, with large 

 clusters of blue or light purple flowers, ornament many 

 Florida homes. 



The potato, tobacco, eggplant, and tomato are useful 

 members of this family, which includes, also, such poison- 

 ous plants as deadly nightshade and datura. The latter 

 is said to have been used of old by priests and wizards to 

 produce the delirium mistaken for inspiration. Among 

 cultivated ornamental plants of this family are petunias, 

 solandras, solanums, the night-blooming jessamine with 

 fragrant green flowers, and the showy datura known as 

 angels' trumpet, which is a glorified relative of the despised 

 jimson (Jamestown) weed. 



Solanum bahamense. Flowers pale purple, nearly V2 in. 

 across, in clusters near leaf-axils. Berries red, small. Shrub 

 2-6 ft. tall. Leaves oblong, 2-5 in. long, rough. Sandy soil, 

 .JBlooming all the year. Southern Fl^. 



