NIcoTuNa. XCIX. SOLANACEZ. 445 
Anth. bursting longitudinally, Peek} by terminal pores. : : 
Ova. free (superior), 2-celled, (4-celled in Datura) with the placenta in the axis. 
Styles and stigmas united into 1. 
Fr. a capsulé or berry. Seeds numerous. Embryo curved, lying in fleshy albumen. 
Fw mt 60, species 900, diffused throughout the world, except the frigid zones, but most abundant in 
e torrid. 
Properties. These are highly important. A large portion of the genera are pervaded by a narcotic 
principle, rendering the herbage and fruit dangerously poisonous, yet furnishing some of the most active 
medicines; as the henbane (Hyoscyamus), belladonna (Atropa), stramoniwm (Datura), tobacco (Nicoti- 
ana), &c. At the same time several species of Solanum afford wholesome and nutritious food, not 
because they are free from the narcotic principle, but because it is expelled in the process of cooking or 
ripening in the sun. Such are the tubers of the invaluable potato, the fruit of the tomato and egg plant. 
The genus Capsicum is entirely free from narcotine, and produces the_ well-known stimulant fruit, 
Cayenne pepper. 
Conspectus of the Genera. 
Fruit (sitting on the calyx. jf. tu. Sela ae 
rotate, witha { baccate, ?enclosed in the calyx. . . ; . Physalis. 6 
very short tube. ( Fruit capsular, dry. é : ° : e - Capsicum. 7 
seepas lanceolate. Siva SPOR eerie, epi reins . Agrees 9 
campanulate. Sepals leafy, sagittate. . g z : - Nicandra. 5 
; Capsule spinose . - é : - Datura. 3 
{Merle Capsulesmooth, . . . . . Nicotiana. 2 
regular, (funnel-form. . ? Trailing shrubs. OF Shah wits: Chi autwks es 5. aerial 10 
: rr form, lower segments larger. . - - 3 ‘ . - Petunia. 1 
Corolla (irregular, ?funnel-form, uppersegmentslarger. . . +. . +» =| « Hyoscyamus. 4 
Ll. PETUNIA. Juss. 
The Brazilian name is petwn, Latinized, petunia. 
Calyx tube short, the limb 5-cleft, foliaceous; corolla hypocrateri- 
form, the tube cylindric, limb in 5, unequal, flat, plicate lobes; sta- 
mens 5, unequal, included, arising from the middle of the corolla- 
tube; capsule 2-valved—Herbs with. simple lvs. and axillary, solitary, 
showy fis. 
1. P. viotacra.—St. weak, viscid-pilose; ws. acute, on short petioles; cor. 
Yentricose, cleft into rounded, acute lobes —@ @) A pretty, trailing or climbing 
plant, becoming quite popular in cultivation, native of Brazil. Whole plant 
clothed with clammy hairs. Stems simple, several from the same root, 2—8f 
long. Leaves 1—2/ long, nearly as broad, tapering at base into a winged peti- 
ole, fleshy, nearly smooth beneath. Sepals obtuse. Peduncles as long as the 
leaves, and scarcely longer than the corolla tube. Limb of the corolla bright 
purple, an inch or more broad, upper segment smallest. Capsule furnished 
with a tube each side of the sutures. 
2. P. atpa.—<St. weak, viscid-pilose; Jvs. ovate, acute, upper ones sessile; 
cor. tube cylindric, scarcely dilated above, 2 or 3 times longer than the obtuse, 
spatulate sepals, limb flat, spreading, greenish-white—@ @ Brazil. Usually 
regarded as a variety of the first, and perhaps it may have originated from that 
species by cultivation. It is usually a stouter plant, with larger leaves and 
flowers, the latter constantly yellowish or greenish-white, with a long, slender 
tube. 
2 NICOTIANA. Toum. ’ 
In honor? of John Nicot, of Languedoc, who seems to have introduced it into Europe. 
Calyx urceolate, 5-cleft; corolla infundibuliform, regular, limb 
5-lobed ; stamens 5; stigma emarginate; capsule 2-celled, 2—4 
valved—@® Coarse, narcotic herbs, with simple lus. and terminal fis. 
Cor. white,tinged with green or purple. 
1. N. rustica. Common Tobacco. 
Viscid-pubescent ; lvs. petioled, ovate, entire; tube of the cor. cylindric, 
longer than the calyx, segments round, obtuse.—For the purposes of tobacco 
this plant is considered inferior to the Virginian. Stem 12—18’ high. Flowers 
greenish-yellow, in a terminal panicle or raceme. In western N. Y., &c., said 
to have been introduced by the Indians. Aug. § 
2. N. Tazpicum. Virginian Tobacco. 
Viscid-pubescent ; lvs. lanceolate, sessile, decurrent; cor. tube inflated at 
the throat, lobes acute.—Native of Central America, particularly the Island of 
Tobago, and the Province of Tabasco in Mexico, whence it was first exported 
