TIY K. CUEKL. 589 



Nightshade " berries are often eaten by children without any 

 ill-effects beyond, perhaps, a stomach ache, or, if eaten in excess, 

 sickness or purging. They have often been used instead of 

 raisins for plum pudding, with no results out of the ordinary. It 

 is possible that Solarium tiiff^-um may dev^elop more solanin in 

 the dry climate of Australia than elsewhere, but, if so, we have 

 no evidence of the fact." In Contributions from the U.S. 

 National Herbarium (81), the following statement also appears: — 

 "The common Black Nightshade {Solaitiim nigrum), fig. 78, 

 which occurs somewhat plentifully as a garden weed throughout 

 the district. The berries are used for food, but only when fully 

 ripe. The green fruit is looked upon as poisonous, one case 

 being cited by Mr. C. JM. Brown, of Covelo, where, in 1893, a 

 white child was seriously but not fatally poisonefl bv eating the 

 berries, some of which were suppo.'^ed to have been uni-ipe. The 

 prominent s\'mptoms were vomiting and spasms."' Mrs. V. K. 

 Chestnui(18) also gives the following particulars: — "The 

 Black Nightshade is a common introduced weed in rich, shaded 

 grounds and fields east of South Dakota and Arkansas, and in 



damp places westward of the Pacific Ocean The amount of 



poi.son present in any part of this plant varies with the con- 

 ditions of growth The more musky-odored plants are the most 

 poisonous. In some the amount of alkaloid in the ripe fruit and 

 leaves is so small that the parts may be, and are, consumed in 

 considerable quantity without any ill consequences. Poisoning 

 does sometimes follow, but it is not clear whether this is due to 

 improper preparation or to careless selection of the parts used. 

 In Europe cases of poisoning are said to occur in infants over 

 whom the plants are hung to induce sleep. The use of Black 

 Nightshade for food is certainly not to be recommended. Cases 

 of poisoning are recorded for calves, sheep, goats, and swine." 



Comparison of Australian P^orms with Plants grown from 

 Seed of several Species received from other Countries. 

 During the years 1913-1916, we have received at the Botanic 

 Gardens, Sydney, by way of exchange, a large number of 

 Solanums, including eleven species of the "Morellse verse'" group, 

 which includes S. nigrum and closely related forms. Seeds of 



42 



