406 



SOLANACE^. I. SOLANUM. 



The diseases of potatoes are chiefly the scab, the worm, and 

 the curl. The scab, or ulcerated surface of the tubers, has 

 never been satisfactorily accounted for. Some attributing it to 

 the ammonia of horse-dung, others to alkali, and some to the 

 use of coal ashes. Change of seed, and of ground are the only 

 resources known at present for this malady. The worm and 

 grub both attack the tuber ; and the same preventative is re- 

 commended. The only serious disease of the potatoe is the 

 curl ; and this is now ascertained to be produced by the con- 

 centration of the sap in the tuber ; and this concentration, 

 or thickening, is prevented by early taking up. This discovery 

 was first made by the farmers near Edinburgh observing that 

 seed potatoes procured from the moors, or elevated cold ground, 

 never suffered from the curl ; and it consequently became a 

 practice, every 3 or 4 years, to procure a change of seed from 

 these districts. On inquiry, it was found that potatoes of these 

 upland grounds continued in a growing state till the haulm was 

 blackened by the first frosts of October. They were then taken 

 up, when, of course, they could not be ripe. Subsequent expe- 

 riments has established the fact, that the curl is prevented by 

 using unripe seed. It is also a safe practice frequently to 

 change the seed, and also to change the variety. 



T"6erou*-rooted Nightshade, or Common Potatoe. Fl. May, 

 Sept. Clt. 1597. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



2 S. ETUBEROSUM (Lindl. hot. reg. 1712.) rhizoma thick, 

 subterraneous, without tubers ; stem herbaceous ; leaflets un- 

 equal, complicate, much undulated, approximate : alternate ones 

 minute; pedicels articulated; calyxes and corollas 5-angled, 

 glabrous. If. . H. Native of Chili. Habit of S. tuberosum ; 

 but the roots are without tubers ; the flowers larger, on shorter 

 pedicels ; the calyx glabrous and shining, not hispid. Corollas 

 purple. There is a variety of S. tuberosum with long, creeping 

 rhizoma, without tubers, and white flowers, in the botanic gar- 

 den of Chelsea, from Chili, which renders the present rather 

 doubtful as a species. We suspect that this and S. Commersbnii 

 are only varieties of S. tuberosum. The S. stoloniferum, Cham, 

 in Linnaea, 8. p. 255. a native of Mexico, also appears to be a 

 variety of S. tuberosum. 



Tuberless Nightshade, or Potatoe. Fl. July, Oct. Clt. 1833. 

 PI. 1-2 feet. 



3 S. COMMERSONI (Poir. suppl. 3. p. 746. Dun. sol. ed. 2d. 

 ined. t, 133. syn. p. 5.) herbaceous; leaves pinnate, sublyrate, 

 pilose ; pedicels articulate ; corollas 5-cleft. I/ . H. Native 

 of America, about Monte Video, Commerson. Hort. trans. 5. t. 

 10. Very nearly allied to S. tuberosum ; but the root is un- 

 known ; it differs, however, from that plant, in the leaves being 

 more profoundly pinnatifid ; but the leaflets are sessile, and not 

 alternate, unequal ; the terminal leaflet very large ; and the 

 corolla is 5-cleft, not 5-angled. 



Commerson's Nightshade, or Potatoe. Fl. May, Oct. Clt. 

 1 822. PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



4 S. APFENDICULA'TUM (Dun. syn. p. 5. H. B. et Kunth, 

 nov. gen. 3. p. 19.) shrubby? or herbaceous? scandent ; leaves 

 quinately impari-pinnate, stipulate at the base ; leaflets oblong, 

 acuminated, beset with adpressed hairs above, but downy on the 

 veins beneath ; corymbs terminal, few-flowered. Jj . ? v> . G. 

 Native of Mexico, near La Puente de La Madre de Dios, be- 

 tween Totonilco el Grande and Actopan. Branchlets puberu- 

 lous. Leaflets opposite, terminal one large. Corymbs puberu- 

 lous. Corolla 5-cleft, white, glabrous, with oblong, acute seg- 

 ments. Calyx half globose, 5-lobed. 



Appendiculate-le&veA Nightshade. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1823. 

 Shrub climbing. 



5 S. PINNA'TUM (Cav. icon. 5. p. 23. t. 439. f. 1.) stem her- 

 baceous, furrowed ; leaves impari-pinnate ; leaflets decurrent ; 



flowers terminal, corymbose. If. H. Native of Chili, near 

 Coquimbo. Stem almost winged from the decurrent leaves. 

 Leaves with 3 pairs of leaflets. Branches of corymbs dichoto- 

 mous. Corollas deep yellow. Berry glabrous, black, size of 

 a pea. 



Pinnate-leaved Nightshade. PI. 2 feet. 



2. Leaves impari-pinnate. Racemes corymbose, lateral. 



6 S. CALDA'SII (Dun. syn. p. 6. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. 

 amer. 3. p. 19.) herbaceous; leaves impari or unequally pin- 

 nate, soft from tomentum, whitish beneath ; racemes dichoto- 

 mous, cymose. 1. H. Native of Quito, near Chillo. Dun. 

 sol. ed. 2d. ined. t. 85. f. 2. This species differs from *S. 

 ochrdnthum, which it is very like ; in the stem being herbace- 

 ous ; in the leaves being smaller ; the leaflets being 3-pair ; 

 and in the racemes being spreading and cymose above ; in the 

 cymes being longer ; and in the flowers being larger. 



Caldas's Nightshade. PI. climbing? 



7 S. JAME'SII (Torrey, in ann. lye. 2. p. 227.) herbaceous, 

 rather pilose ; stem unarmed, erect ; leaves impari-pinnate ; 

 leaflets ovate-lanceolate, abruptly narrowed at the base, obso- 

 letely sinuated ; racemes extra-axillary, few-flowered. Q. H. 

 Native of the Arkansas ? Racemes about 4-flowered. Flowers 

 white. 



James's Nightshade. PI. \ to f foot. 



8 S. OCHRA'NTHUM (Dun. syn. p. 6. sol. ed. 2d. ined. t. 85. 

 f. 1. H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. 3. p. 20.) shrubby, scandent; 

 leaves interruptedly pinnate, hairy above, but clothed with 

 white tomentum beneath ; leaflets oblong, nearly entire ; co- 

 rymbs lateral, subdichotomous, on long peduncles, about equal 

 in length to the leaves. Tj . ,_,. G. Native of Quito, near 

 Chillo. Leaflets opposite, 4 pairs. Corymbs hairy. Corolla 

 5-cleft, yellow, hairy outside ; segments acutish, rather un- 

 equal. 



Yellorv-florvered Nightshade. Shrub climbing. 



9 S. JUGLANDIFOLIUM (Dun. syn. p. 6. sol. ed. 2d. ined. t. 

 86.) shrubby, scandent ; leaves impari-pinnate, rough from 

 hairs above, but clothed with soft hairs beneath ; leaflets 

 oblong, subcordate, quite entire ; corymbs lateral, dichotomous, 

 divaricate. fj . w . S. Native of New Granada, in the pro- 

 vince of Pasto, in humid places near Tusa et Cuesaca. H. B. 

 et Kunth, nov. gen. 3. p. 20. Leaflets opposite, 3 pairs, on 

 short petioles : terminal one rather the largest. Corymbs 

 pilose. Corolla 5-parted, white ? pilose outside. 



Walnut-leaved Nightshade. Shrub climbing. 



3. PTEROI'DEA (from irrtpov, pteron, a wing ; and aoc, 

 eidos, form ; in reference to the pinnate leaves.) Leaves impari- 

 pinnate or ternate ; leaflets quite entire, acuminated. Peduncles 

 axillary, aggregate, racemose. 



10 S. MI'TE (Ruiz, et Pav. fl. per. 2. p. 38. t. 173. f. a.) 

 stem herbaceous, radicant ; leaves impari-pinnate ; leaflets ob- 

 long; racemes axillary, aggregate; berries globose. Q. H. 

 Native of Peru, in the province of Panatahua, in forests at 

 Pozuzo and Chincao, in humid places. Glabrous. Stem 

 bluntly angular. Flowers small, secund, white. Berry white, 

 size of a pea. Leaves 8-10 inches long. 



Mild Nightshade. PI. 2 feet, creeping. 



11 S. CONICUM (Ruiz, et Pav. 1. c. t. 172. f. b.) stems her- 

 baceous ; leaves impari-pinnate ; leaflets oblong-lanceolate ; pe- 

 duncles axillary, usually 3 together, spicate ; berry conical. 

 0. H. Native of Peru, in groves at Chincao and Cuchero. 

 Stem pilose, and angular at top. Peduncles solitary, twin or 

 tern, almost the length of the petioles, recurved at top. 



