97. SOLANACE.E. [8. Cestrum. 



not the case, and I have seen undoubted tatula in our area with white flowers. Be 

 Candolle considered that T. tatula came from America, and indeed it scarcely seems 

 indigenous in our area. 



The plant yields the well-known poison, and there used to 1)6 a belief in Chota 

 Nagpur that the powdered seeds of this and the next species were used for half 

 stupefying coolies whom it was desired to take against their will to the Assam tea 

 gardens. 



2. D. fastuosa, L. Same vernacular names. 



More shrubby than the last, 3-5 ft. high with leaves 3-6", some- 

 times entire or obtusely lobed or toothed, rarely teeth acute. Flowers 

 purple or white 5-7", rarely less, with a more spreading mouth to 

 corolla than in tatula. Fruit inclined or nodding, quite globose, sub- 

 baccate, having a thick somewliat fleshy pericarp which breaks up 

 irregiilarly and is armed with conical prickles, less pointed than in 

 tatula. Fruiting peduncles vip to "8". 



In waste ground, frequent throughout the area ! Fl. chiefly in the r.s. Some- 

 times (always?; perennial. 



It has nowhere in the province the appearance of an indigenous plant. Largo 

 double and treble flowers are often seen in gardens. 



Calyx 2*2-3", lobes equal or unequal. Corolla-lobes sometimes "o" long. 



3. D. suaveolens, Humh. tf- Bonp. Syn. Brugmansia suaveolens, G. 



Don. ; Angel's Trumpet. 



A very large handsome shrub, with entire ovate- oblong leaves and 

 very large handsome drooping white flowers 9-12" long frilled at the 

 mouth. Calyx inflated glabroiis angular. Fruit baccate, unarmed. 



Frequent in gardens. A native of Mexico. 



8. CESTRUM, L. Habrothamnus. 



Trees or shrubs, sometimes sub-scandent, with entire, usually ever- 

 green leaves and somewhat small or m.s. flowers in umbelliform or 

 racemiform cymes, axillary or terminating short branches, sometimes 

 panicled. Calyx tubular or campanulate, 5-toothed or -lobed. Corolla 

 tubular or funnel-shaped with the tube long, limb 5-lobed compara- 

 tively short, spreading or reflexed. Stamens inserted in the middle 

 •of the tube, usually adnate to the tube, base hairy or thickened. 

 Fruit a berry, few-1-seeded. Seeds large, with straight or only 

 slightly curved embryo, albuminous. 



A large genus of tropical America of which several species are frequently met 

 with in Indian gardens, the most common being the following : — 



I. C. hirsutum, Jacq. Mexican Jasmine; Lady of the Night. 



Sparsely branched, branches hairy, leaves oblong acute tomentose 

 beneath. Flowers greenish or becoming yellowish, remarkable for 

 their sweet smell of a night. 



The name is that given in horticultural gardens, the correct description Cso far 

 as it goes) being given for that species, but I believe that our common "' Mexican 

 Jasmine " is rather 2. C. noctumum, Murray, in which the leaves are glabrous both 

 sides, the corolla yellowish-green, very sweet of a night. C. hirsutum belongs to 

 the section in which the corolla is attenuate below the ovary and embraces its 

 stipes, globose round the ovary itself then gradually obconic-funnel-shaped. 

 C. nocturnum on the other hand is obconic-funnel-shaped from the base, slender at 

 the base, wide at the throat, but not embracing the ovary. I have kept no 

 .specimens. 



615 



