280 SPINACEOUS PLANTS. 



Use. The leaves are used in the manner of Spinach, and 

 resemble it in taste. 



Varieties. 



Early Ama- This plant is a native of the East Indies, 

 ranthus. VU. 



and in height, color, and general habit, resem- 

 bles the Chinese Amaranthus. It is, however, somewhat 

 earlier, and ripens its seed perfectly in climates where the 

 Chinese often fails. Its uses and mode of cultivation are 

 the same. 



Hantsi Introduced from China by Mr. Fortune, and 



Shanghai J 



Amar ra thus ' disseminated by the London Horticultural So- 

 ciety. It differs little from the preceding 

 species, and is cultivated in the same manner, and used 

 for the same purposes. Annual. 



BLACK NIGHTSHADE. 



Morelle of the French. Solanum nigrum 



An unattractive, annual plant, growing spontaneously as a 

 weed among rubbish, in rich waste places. Its stem is from 

 two to three feet high, hairy, and branching ; the leaves are 

 oval, angular, sinuate, and bluntly toothed ; the flowers are 

 white, in drooping clusters, and are succeeded by black, 

 spherical berries, of the size of a small pea ; the seeds are 

 small, lens-shaped, pale yellow, and retain their vitality five 

 years. Twenty-three thousand are contained in an ounce. 



Propagation and Culture. It is raised from seed, which 

 may be sown in April or May, or in autumn. Sow in shal- 

 low drills, fifteen or eighteen inches apart, and thin to six or 

 eight inches in the drills ; afterwards keep the soil loose, and 

 free from weeds, in the usual manner. 



