Datura 



SOLANACEAE 



831 



50 



Map 1805 



Solanum rostratum Dunal 



50 



Map 1806 



Solanum nigrum L. 



50 



Map 1807 



Solanum Dulcamara L. 



4. Solanum Dulcamara L. Bitter Nightshade. Bittersweet. Map 

 1807. This is the true bittersweet of medicine, and should not be confused 

 with Celastrus scandens which is also called bittersweet. 



This species is more or less frequent in the lake area and is practically 

 confined to it although it is reported from 6 of the southern counties. It is 

 found in swamps, bogs, and low woods and along low roadsides. Authors 

 say it is adventive from Europe but all of our early authors found it and 

 its habitat suggests that it is native. It is, no doubt, native in Indiana. 



This species varies greatly in the amount of pubescence of the branch- 

 lets, varying from almost glabrous to rather densely pubescent but the 

 pubescence not quite dense and long enough to make our specimens belong 

 to the pubescent variety. The young branchlets are used in medicine. 

 White-flowered forms are found occasionally. 



N. S. to Minn, and Wash., southw. to Pa., Ga., and Kans. 



7415. DATURA L. 



1. Datura Stramonium L. (Datura Tatula L.) Datura. Jimson- 

 WEED. Map 1808. The whole plant is very poisonous when taken internally, 

 yet it is much used in medicine externally. Plants are found with white 

 flowers and green stems and with purple flowers and purplish stems ; some 

 plants have capsules with all of the prickles of the same length while other 

 plants have capsules with the lower prickles of the capsule shorter. Until 

 recently the two plants have been regarded as separate species. In recent 

 years much genetic study has been given these two forms and the result of 

 this study shows that the two characters used to separate the species do 

 not correlate, so it seems best to regard the two forms as a polymorphic 

 species. 



This species has been reported from all parts of the state. It was 

 formerly much more abundant than at present. Its decrease may be due 

 partly to the changed habitat, but probably more to the fact that farmers 

 recognize its poisonous character and destroy it. When I was a boy it 



