264 FOREST CULTURE AND 
Atropa Belladonna, i.—The Deadly Nightshade. 
South and Middie Europe and Western Asia. A most 
important perennial medicinalherb. The highly pow- 
erful atropin is derived from it, besides another alka- 
loid, the belladonnin. 
Avena fatua, L.—Wild Oat. Europe, North Africa, 
North and Middle Asia, eastward as far as Japan. 
The experiments of Professor Buckman indicate that 
our ordinary culture-oat (Avena sativa, L.) is descend- 
ed from this plant. 
Avena flavescens, L. (Trisetum flavescens, Beauv.) 
—Yellowish Oat Grass. Europe, North Africa, Mid- 
dle and North Asia, eastward as far as Japan. One 
of the best of perennial meadow-grasses, living on 
dry soil; fitted also for our Alps. 
Avena pratensis, L.—Meadow Oat Grass. Europe, 
North Asia. It thrives well on dry, clayey soil; it 
produces a sweet fodder, but not in so great propor- 
tion as several other less nutritious grasses. It is pe- 
rennial, and well adapted for our snowy mountains, 
where it would readily establish itself, even on heathy 
moors. ; 
Avena pubescens, L.—Downy Oat Grass. Europe, 
North and Middle Asia. A sweet perennial grass, 
requiring dry but good soil, containing lime. It is 
nutritious and prolific. Several good oat-grasses are 
peculiar to North America and other parts of the 
globe. Their relative value as fodder-grasses is in 
many cases not exactly known, nor does the limit 
assigned to this little treatise allow of their being 
enumerated on this occasion. 
Bactris Gisipses, Humboldt. (Guilielma speciosa, 
Mart.)—The Peach Palm of the Amazon River, as- 
