32 SOLAXUiM TORREYI. TORREY S SOLANUM. 



ered by good botanists members of it, were supposed to be in 

 some measure poisonous. The tubers of the potato were 

 thought to be safe only after they were cooked ; and even 

 within the memory of the present writer few persons thought 

 it quite safe to eat a raw tomato. The immense quantities of 

 tomatoes eaten uncooked in our time would have astonished 

 our forefathers. It is not however clear how far they are 

 poisonous. Griffith, in his " Medical Botany," says the leaves 

 of the tomato will produce vomiting ; and other medical writers 

 tell us that the " balls," or seed-vessels of the potato, eaten have 

 caused certain death. But who would make the trial, for these 

 potato fruits are very nauseous, and have nothing to attract 

 even a child? The Solamini manwwsiun, with which our 

 species was once associated, and to which it is closely allied, 

 is said by Ainslee to bear " a large and poisonous fruit." We 

 give all this as part of the associated history, but have an 

 impression that our pretty flowering species, 6". Torrcyi, will 

 not be found such a very bad fellow after all. 



Of late years much attention has been given to the study of 

 the hairs of plants. They often exhibit a great variety in form 

 and structure, and as in 5". Torrcyi the hairs are particularly 

 referred to by Dr. Gray in the description quoted from his 

 work, we have given an enlarged drawing of one which in 

 this case is branched, or in botanical language, stellate. There 

 seemed to be none "eight to twelve rayed" on our plant, as 

 r3r. Gray finds in his specimens. All were uniformly seven 

 rayed, as In our very much magnified engraving (Fig. 2), which 

 is given as a back view showing a small pedicel to which the 

 rays are attached. 



For the opportunity of illustrating this rare and pretty spe- 

 cies we are indebted to the Cambridge Botanical Garden, where 

 it was growing to perfection under the care of Mr. W. Falconer, 

 gardener there. 



Explanations of the Plate. — i. A flowering branch. 2. Stellate hair enlarged from the 

 under-side of a leaf. 



