HENBANE 



215 



The flower contains honey. The stigma and anthers ripen at the 

 same time. The corolla is bell-shaped, plaited in Ixid. The hairy 

 stamens are declinate, attached to the corolla base, with purple anthers, 

 and provided with slits. The style is simple, the stigma pin- headed 

 antl prominent, ensuring cross -pollination. At first the stigma is 

 longer than the stamens, but the tube grows, and the anthers are 



■If-|K)1I 



seli-polhnation i^ 



possible. 



then on a le\-el with the stigma, so that 



Humble bees visit it, and 

 Halictus cyliiidricus collects 

 pollen. The terminal flowers 

 are .said to be sometimes 

 cleistogamic. 



The fruit, a capsule en- 

 closed by the caly.x, opens 

 by a lid above, and the seeds 

 are thus dispersed imme- 

 diately around the parent 

 plant. Henbane usually 

 grows in small clumps, as 

 would result from the seeds 

 being jerked (when the stems 

 are dry and hard) to some 

 distance also by the wind or 

 upset by passing- herds. 



It is a sand jjlant, and 

 grows mainly on sand soil. 



The leaves are attacked 

 by a fungus, Pci'onospora 

 hyoscyami. A beetle, Psyl- 

 liodes hyoscyami, 3 moths. 



Tiger Moth [Arclia caja). Sand Dart [Agrotis ripe, 

 {Hi'/iotkis pcltigcr), feed on it. 



Hyoscyamus, Dioscorides, is from the Greek lius. hvos. pig, kyamos, 

 bean. The second Latin name refers to the black fruit. It is called 

 Belene, I>rosewort, Chenile, Henbane, Hen-bell, Henkam, Loaves-of- 

 bread. Stinking Roger. People call it Devil's Eye in Germany, as 

 being associated with the evil one. 



Ellis says as to the name Henbane: "Destroy Henbane if any 

 grows near your house, for this will poison, and kill both these and 

 the other fowls". The name Ik-lene is derived from its bell-shaped 

 capsules, belle a bell, fellen, furnished with bells. 



HENDANr. (IJfi 



srvait//is n/p 



Plioto. B. liaiiley 



L. ) IN Fruit 



Bordered Straw 



