NAT. ORDER. LURID^. 



101 



about two feet in heiglit ; stem herbaceous, angular, pilose, branch- 

 ed, tlichotomous ; leaves twin, unequal, oval-oblong and lanceolate, 

 quite entire or subsinuated, hairy ; peduncles one-flowered, drooping, 

 extra-axillary, or in the forks of the stem ; limb of the corolla ten- 

 cleft ; corolla yellowish blue, violaceous in the centre, with five of the 

 segments acute, and the alternating five emarginate ; filaments hairy, 

 violaceous ; berry white, and about the size of a pea ; seeds red. 

 Native of Peru, and many other parts of South America, on high 

 hills. 



When this plant was found to differ from the genus Solanum, 

 it assumed the Italian name of Belladonna, which was given to it, 

 according to some, because it was used as a wash among the ladies, 

 to take off pimples from the skin ; or, according to others, from its 

 quality of representing phantasms or beautiful women to the disturb- 

 ed imagination. The qualities of the plant are malignant, and it is 

 extremely poisonous in all its parts. Buchanan relates the destruc- 

 tion of the army of Sweno, the Dane, when he invaded Scotland, by 

 the berries of this plant, which were mixed with the drink which 

 the Scots, according to truce, were to supply the Danes. The Danes 

 became so inebriated that the Scottish army fell on them in their 

 sleep, and slew such numbers, that there was scarcely men enougli 

 left to carry off the king. The case related by Ray is remarkable, 

 that is, the dilatation of the pupil of the eye caused by a part of the 

 leaf applied outwardly, and which took place successively on the 

 repetition of the experiment. When the berries or any other part 

 of the plant have incautiously been eaten, the general sensibility of 

 the system is said to be weakened to a great degree, so that the 

 stomach will bear a far larger dose of emetic medicines than it 

 woidd otherwise have done. Vinegar liberally drank has been 

 found efficacious in obviating the effects of tlie poison. A remarka- 

 ble instance of tlie malignant powers of tlie young shoots, occurred 

 in the presence of Professor Martyn, in tlie botanic garden at Cam- 



