STRAMONIUM 189 





is supposed to be a corruption from St^v/vo /xavixov, in reference 

 to its effects of causing madness. This supposition, however, 

 is not borne out by the description of this plant by Dioscorides. 

 He describes it as having black flowers and black fruit, which, 

 according to Adams, is the Solatium Sodomeum, the Black- 

 spined Nightshade. Sprengel, in his annotations on Dioscorides, 

 gives four species of the genus Strychnos of the ancients, viz. : 

 1 . 2. X9i*vww, Solanum nigrum, Common Nightshade, or Solanum 

 miniatum ; 2. 2. dkotxxa&x, Physalis alkekengi, Common Winter- 

 cherry; S. 2. wnwrowf, Physalis somnifera, Cluster-leaved 

 Winter-cherry; 4. 2. /navixor, Solanum Sodomeum, Black-spined 

 Nightshade. In all probability, the first notice of the Datura 

 Stramonium is by Fuchsius, in 1542, as mentioned by Spren- 

 gel (Hist Bei Herb., t. ii. p. 326), who states that it was 

 introduced into Germany from Italy. Gerarde received some 

 of the seeds from Lord Edward Zouch, from Constantinople, 

 about the end of the sixteenth century, and cultivated the plant 

 in this country. He says, concerning the names, " The first of 

 these thorn-apples may be called in Latin Stramonia, or Malum 

 spinosum, or Corona regia, and Melospinu. The Grecians of 

 our times name it 9ra§oxoxxaXov, or rather fiaquoxvatakov , as though 

 they should sale a nut stuffing, and causing drowsinesse and 

 troublesome sleepe. It seemeth to Valerius Cordus to be 

 Hyoscyamus Peruvianus, or Henbane of Peru. Cardanus 

 doubted whether it should be inserted among the nightshades 

 as a kind thereof. Of Serapio and others it is thought to be 

 Nux Methel. Serapio, in his 375th chapter, saith that Nux 

 Methel is like unto Niix Vomica, the seede thereof is like that 

 of mandrake ; the huske is rough or full of prickles ; which 

 description agreeth herewith, except in the form or shape it 

 should have with Nux Vomica. Anguillara suspecteth it to be 

 Hippomanes, which Theocritus mentioneth, wherewith, in his 

 Eclog of Charmes, he sheweth that horses are made madde; 

 for Cratenus, whom Theocritus translator does cite, writeth 

 that the plant of Hippomanes hath a fruit full of prickles, as 



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