5. SoLANUM.] 97. SOLANACE.E. 



I. Unarmed. Anthers short, not attenuate (or only at apex) :— 



A. Roots with tubers. The Potatoe I. tulerosum. 



B. Roots without tubers : — 



1. Herbaceous. Fls. small, white. '.S" diam. . . . 2. mgrum. 



2. Shrubby. Fls. o%'er "5" diam. : — 



Climbing shrub, cultivated only 3. Seaforfheamim. 



Erect, densely tomentose shrub. Leaves simple entire 4. verbascifolium. 

 II. Armed with prickles (exc. in some cultivated forms of 9). 

 Anthers long, iisually attenuate from half way up : — 



A. Leaves s'imple entire, lanceolate acuminate, pui^e white 



beneath. Large shrul) 5. giganteum. 



B. Leaves mostly lobed, ovate or oblong: — 



1. Erect shrubs or undershrubs, or {meloiigena) herba- 



ceous : — 



a. Leaves stellate tomentose both sides. Calyx and 



ovarj- hirsute 6. fei'ox. 



b. Leaves often stellate tomentose beneath, glabre- 



scent or thinlj- stellate-pubescent above. Calyx 



not hirsute .— 

 i, Fls. mostly under 1" diain. Berry "S-'S". Prickles 

 short, triangular or curved : — 



Leaves unarmed or with only 1 prickle beneath, 



calyx unarmed. Flowei's white . . . 7. torvum. 



Leaves with prickles, calyx usually prickly. 



Flowers blue, rarely nearly white . . .8. indicum. 

 ii. Flowers mostly over 1" diam. Berry 1" or more. 

 Prickles on branches usually under •4", some- 

 times ' . . . . 9. melongena. 



2. Diffuse, herbaceous, with long straight prickles •4-7" 



all over. Flowers 1" diam., blue. L. usually doubly 



lobed . . . ' 10. xanthoearpum, 



3. Climbing, with short prickles all over. Leaves small .11. irilobatum. 

 A few other species are cultivated in gardens, but are not general. 



1. S. tuberosum, L. Alu, Vem. ; The Potato. 



A herb with large unequally and irregularly pinnatisect leaves and 

 terminal (subsequently becoming lateral) cymes of blue or white 

 flowers 1" or more in diameter. 



Cultivated in the province in the cold season, but more especially in the Northern 

 Tract and on the highlands of the Central Tract, only on a very small scale else- 

 where, usually in the river beds. 



The dreaded Potato disease {Fht/fophfhora infest ans) is almost unknown in the 

 province, but in 1912-13 the potato croj) in Bhagalpur was destroyed by it. This 

 was due to the introduction of seed potato from the hillts followed by damp foggj' 

 conditions in December [Memoirs of Dept. of AgriciiUiire). 



2. S. nigrun, L. Makoi, H. ; The Black Nightshade. 



An erect branched herb with entire or sinuate or sometimes toothed 

 or lobed ovate or lanceolate-ovate or oblong leaves onlyi o-V^" in 

 starved specimens, attaining 4" by 17" in luxuriant specimens, blade 

 always decurrent on the petiole. Fls. small white "3" diam. few sub- 

 umbelled on extra-axillary peduncles. Calyx '2b" diam. with broad 

 rounded lobes. Berry 2b-'6 diam. globose black (sometimes yellow 

 or red, Clarice). 



A fre(iuent weed especially in the Northern Area ! Singbhum ! Palamau and 

 Hiizaribagh, JVood. Fl., Fr., most of the year. Extends to Europe. 



Branches \vith raised lines and leaves glabrous or slightly pubescent. Petiole 

 '5-1". Pedicels deflexed in fruit about "5" long. Anthers short, not at all attenuate. 



The berries are said to be eaten. They are alterative and diuretic and a decoction 

 of berries and tlowers is said to be useful in cough and consumption. The plant 

 has the same chemical constituents as the English S. dulcamara (the Woody 

 Nightshade) and contains the alkaloid Solanine. JVadkarni. 



610 



