302 COMMON WEEDS 



Henbane (Hyoscyantus niger L.) is found in parts of 

 Scotland, in England, and in Wales, and is common in 

 Ireland. It occurs chiefly in waste, sandy places, fre- 

 quently near old buildings, and we have found it, 

 almost side by side with Atropa Belladonna, on the Fife 

 coast of the Firth of Forth. It is a hairy, sticky plant, 

 annual or biennial, with a strong unpleasant odour. 

 It grows to a height of 2 feet ; the leaves are large, 

 somewhat toothed and oblong. The flowers are funnel- 

 shaped, upwards of an inch across, yellow in colour, 

 with violet or purple veins. They appear between 

 June and August. The seed capsule opens by means 

 of a lid, and contains many seeds. The root is large 

 and thick, and has been eaten instead of parsnips and 

 chicory with dangerous results. The leaves and young 

 shoots have been used as a vegetable, and children 

 have eaten the seeds with serious effects. 



All parts of Henbane are very poisonous, and the 

 toxic principle, the alkaloid Hyoscyamine, is not de- 

 stroyed either by drying or boiling. In general animals 

 will not eat the plant, but Cornevin records the fact 

 that it has been given to cows mixed with other fodder. 

 Owing to the general habitat of the plant, however, 

 this occurrence must be rare. Nevertheless care should 

 be taken to avoid the ingestion of any part of Henbane, 

 either by stock or by man. 



Bitter-sweet or Woody Nightshade (Solanum Dul- 

 camara L.) is a common plant of woods and hedges, 

 and, although quite different in appearance, is fre- 

 quently wrongly termed Deadly Nightshade. It is 

 generally well known as a trailing plant, which climbs 

 freely over hedges. The leaves are oval and single or 

 trifoliate, and clusters of small purple flowers on slender 

 stalks spring from the stem above a leaf. The flowers 

 at once remind one of a small potato blossom, and, like 



