452 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Solanaceae continued. 



Potato (Solanum tuberosum). Tobacco, the manufactured 

 leaves of several species of Nicotiana, principally 

 N. Tabacum, is also a highly-important article of com- 

 merce. Among other products may be mentioned: 

 Chilies, the berries of Capsicum annuum; Cayenne 

 Pepper, tho ground fruits of a sub-woody species of 

 Capsicum; the Tomato or Love Apple (Ly coper sicum 

 csculentum), widely cultivated; and the Brinjal, Auber- 

 gine, or Egg Plant (Solanum Melongena). The principal 

 medicinal properties of Solanaceoe are: Belladonna, Hen- 

 bane, and Stramonium. The fruits of Solanum quitense, 

 and other species, are edible. About sixty-six genera and 

 1200 species are included under Solanacece. Examples : 

 Cestrum, Lycopersic.um, Nicotiana, Petunia, Physalis, and 

 Solanum. 



SOLANDRA (named in honour of Daniel Charles 

 Solander, LL.D., F.E.S., 1736-1782, a Swede, disciple 

 of Linnaeus, and fellow-traveller with Sir Joseph Banks 

 and Captain Cook). OBD. Solanacem. A small genus 

 (about four species) of tall-climbing, stove shrubs, natives 

 of tropical America. Flowers large ; calyx long-tubular, 

 two to five-cleft at apex; corolla funnel- shaped, with an 

 ample, campanulate throat, and a limb of four broad 

 lobes; stamens five, declinate above the middle; pedi- 

 cels solitary, thick. Berries globose, pulpy. Leaves 

 entire, coriaceous, shining. The species are very hand- 

 some subjects when in flower. If allowed abundance of 

 space and moisture, they grow rapidly, but produce no 

 blossoms. In order to avoid this, insert the plants in 

 loamy soil, and encourage them to grow rapidly at first 

 by giving plenty of water ; then withhold water altogether 

 until the leaves begin to drop off from drought, and an 

 abundance of flowers will be the result. Propagation 

 may be readily effected by cuttings, inserted in mould or 

 tan. If small flowering plants are desired, the cuttings 

 should be taken from flowering shoots. 



S. grandiflora (large-flowered).* Peach-coloured Trumpet Flower. 

 /., calyx 2in. to 3iin. long, three or four-cleft ; corolla greenish- 

 white, 7in. to lOin. long, the lobes undulate-crenate. March and 

 April, fr. greenish, ovoid-globose, of a sweet, sub-acid flavour. 

 1. elliptic or elliptic-oblong, 2Jin. to 5in. long. h. 15ft. Jamaica, 

 1781. (B. M. 1874.) 



S. guttata (spotted). /. erect, terminal; corolla pale yellow, 

 marked with purple spots in the throat, large, funnel-shaped, the 

 lobes crispately crenated, spreading. March. I. broadly elliptic- 

 oblong, Sin. to 6in. long, acute, downy beneath. A. 10ft. Mexico, 

 1850. (B. R. 1551.) 



S. IsBvis (smooth), ft. fragrant ; calyx 4in. long, tubular, two- 

 lipped at the extremity ; corolla greenish-cream-colour, white at 

 the limb, nearly 1ft. long, slender below, bell-shaped above, the 

 limb spreading, of five singularly crisped and waved lobes; 

 peduncles thick, in. long. November. I. alternate, oblong-oval 

 or somewhat obovate, acute, paler beneath, small in proportion. 

 ?345 6S spreadin S' 2ft - lon S- South America, 1846. (B. M. 



S. longinora (long-flowered). ft., calyx about Sin. long ; corolla 

 white, with a purplish tinge, 1ft. long, the lobes undulately 

 toothed. November, fr. l^in. in diameter. I. elliptic-, lanceo- 

 late-, or obovate-oblong, 2iin. to 4in. long. h. 6ft. Jamaica, 1846. 



S. yiridinora (green-flowered).* ft. green, terminal, solitary, 

 pedunculate ; calyx segments five, acute ; corolla drooping, the 

 segments elongated and revolute. May to July. 1. elliptfc-oblong, 

 attenuated at both ends, acuminate, glabrous, h 2ft to 3ft 

 Brazil, 1815. Deciduous. (B. M. 1948.) Uyssochroma riridiflora 

 is now the correct name of this plant. 



SOLANUM (the old Latin name, used by Pliny). 

 Nightshade. Including Aquartia and Nycterium. OBD. 

 Solanacea. An immense genus (upwards of 900 species 

 have been described, but not more than 700 are dis- 

 tinct as such) of spiny or unarmed, stove, green- 

 house, or hardy shrubs, herbs, or small trees of very 

 variable habit; they are mostly confined to the hotter 

 parts of the globe, and are especially abundant in 

 America. Flowers yellow, white, violet, or purplish; 

 calyx campanulate or spreading, five or ten-toothed, lobed', 

 or parted, rarely four-parted; corolla tube very shortly 

 rotate or rarely broadly campanulate, the limb five (rarely 

 four or six) lobed, plaited in bud ; stamens five rarely 



Solanum continued. 



four or six, affixed to the throat ; filaments very short ; 

 cymes dichotomous or racemose, lateral or terminal. 

 Berry globose or elongated. Leaves alternate or sub- 

 opposite in equal pairs, entire, lobed, or pinnatisect. The 

 most important species in the genus is S. tuberosum, 

 which has been exhaustively treated in this work under 

 its common name, Potato. For the most recent conclu- 

 sions respecting this species and the origin of the Potato, 

 see the papers published in vol. xxvi. of the " Gardeners' 

 Chronicle." 8. Melongena furnishes the fruit known 

 as Aubergine (which see), and the berries of several 

 other species are edible. 8. Dulcamara (Bittersweet) 

 and S. nigrum are British plants. Solanums succeed in 

 almost any rich, loamy soil. The annuals, and a large 

 proportion of the other species, may be readily raised 

 from seeds. Those which bear tubers may be increased 

 thereby; and the stove and greenhouse shrubby plants 

 may generally be propagated from cuttings, inserted, when 

 young, in a warm propagating frame. For sub-tropical 

 gardening, 8. marginatum, 8. robustum, and S. Warsce- 

 wiczii are invaluable ; S. Capsicastrum and 8. Pseudo- 

 capsicum are popular plants for greenhouse decoration 

 when covered with their bright- coloured berries. Out of 

 twenty tuber-bearing species which have been named, 

 J. G. Baker (in the "Journal of the Linnean Society," 

 vol. xx.) is of opinion that "six, viz.: S. tuberosum, 

 S. Maglia, S. Commersoni, 8. cardiophyllum, 8. Jamesii, 

 and S. oxycarpum, possess a fair claim to be considered 

 as distinct species in a broad sense." A large number 

 of the species have been introduced to cultivation, and 

 many of them are highly deserving of a place in the 

 garrden, on account of their ornamental appearance. 

 Except where otherwise indicated, those described below 

 are shrubs. All flower in summer. 



S. acanthodes (spiny).* ft., calyx hemispherical, bristly ; corolla 

 pale blue-purple, nearly flat, lobed to about the middle, 2iin. 

 in diameter, the margins waved ; cymes lateral, scorpioid, 

 six to ten-flowered. 1. 1ft. or more long, ovate or obovate- 

 oblong, pinnatifidly lobed to the middle or lower, deeply two- 

 lobed at base; lobes horizontal, sinuate, sub-acute; midrib 

 and horizontal nerves orange-red, and, as well as the petioles, 

 prickly. Stem and branches dark green and bright orange, 

 prickly, h. 3ft. to 6ft. Brazil, 1863. Stove. (B. M. 6283.) 



S. cethiopicum (African), ft., calyx leafy, five to seven-cleft ; 

 corolla white, deeply five to seven-cleft, the segments triangular- 

 oblong ; racemes few-flowered, drooping, fr. red, large, globose, 

 edible. I. ovate-lanceolate, repand-angled, solitary or twin, petio- 

 late, 5in. long, very unequal at base, acuminate, paler beneath. 

 Stem 1ft. to 2ft. high. Africa, 1597. Hardy annual. 



S. amazonium (Amazon), ft., calyx five-cleft ; corolla blue, with 

 five yellow rays on the outside, five-cleft, 2in. in diameter ; pedicels 

 one-flowered; peduncles lin. long; racemes cymose, terminal 

 or lateral, nearly 2in. long. I. solitary, above twin, rarely ternate, 

 p_etiolate, spreading, 4in. to 5in. long ; lower ones larger, some- 

 times 6in. long, sparsely prickly on the nerves and oetioles. Stem 

 unarmed, h. 3ft. to 4ft. Mexico, 1800. Stove. (B. R. 71; 

 L. B. C. 352.) SYN. Nycterium amazonicum (B. M. 1801). 



5. Anguivi (Anguivi). A synonym of S. indicum. 



6. anthropophagorum (man-eating). Cannibal's Tomato. 

 ft. small ; calyx flve-lobed ; corolla white, rotate, pubescent ; 

 pedicels few, drooping, fr. red, resembling tomatoes, obscurely 

 two-lobed, nippled at apex. I. glabrous, ovate, acuminate, entire 

 or (the lower ones) angularly lobed, long-petiolate. h. 6ft. Fiji. 

 Stove. The berries of this species were formerly eaten by the 

 natives with human flesh. (B. M. 5424.) 



S. asarifolium (Asarum-leaved). /., calyx truncately five- 

 toothed ; corolla whitish, rotate, five -lobed; peduncles sub- 

 axillary, solitary, one-flowered. I. twin, very unequal, mem- 

 branous, glabrous ; one petiolate, ovate-cordate, rounded at 

 apex, entire, slightly cilicited ; the other sessile, minute, orbi- 

 cular. Stem creeping, branched. Venezuela, 1870. Stove 

 perennial. (Ref. B. 255.) 



S. atropurpureum (dark purple).* /., calyx tinged with purple, 

 deeply five-cleft ; corolla diluted with yellow, somewhat nve- 

 parted, the segments acuminate, four lines long ; racemes lateral, 

 six to eight-flowered, nearly lin. long. fr. white, at length yellow. 

 I. 6in. to 7in. long, long-petiolate, unequally sub-cordate, five to 

 seven-parted, armed with robust prickles nearly lin. long. Stem 

 erect, branched, dark blood-colour ; prickles unequal, dark purple 

 at base. A. several feet. Brazil, 1870. Greenhouse sub-shrub. 

 (Ref. B. 207.) 



S. aviculare. Bird Solanum ; Kangaroo Apple, ft. few, in short, 

 loose, pedunculate racemes ; calyx lobes short ; corolla violet, Jin. 



