SOLANACE.E. XXV. HYOCYAMCS. 



471 



sions of the root, or by seed. They are well adapted for deco- 

 rating borders in early spring. 



XXV. HYOCY'AMUS (from i c voc, hys hyos, a hog ; and 

 Kva/jtoc, kyamos, a bean, hog-bean ; these animals, according to 

 .'Elian, being poisoned with it, unless drenched with water without 

 and within.) Tourn. inst. p. 118. t. 42. Brunf. 224. Rivin. mon. 

 t. 102. Lin. gen. no. 247. Schreb. gen. no. 333. Juss. gen. 

 p. 124. ed. Usteri, p. 139. Gaertn. fruct. 1. p. 369. t. 76. 

 Lam. ill. t. 117. f. 1. Nees, in Lin. trans. 17. p. 77. 



LIN. SYST. Pentandria, Monogy'nia. Calyx tubular, 5-cleft, 

 permanent, ventricose at the base. Corolla campanulately fun- 

 nel-shaped ; limb rather oblique, 5-cleft ; segments obtuse, one 

 of which is much larger than the rest. Stamens inclinate. 

 Stigma capitate. Capsule immersed in the calyx, 2-celled, many- 

 seeded, operculate. Placenta fixed to the dissepiment. Seeds 

 excavated and angular. Coarse, clammy, downy, fetid, canes- 

 cent herbs. Leaves decurrent, stem-clasping, sinuated. Flow- 

 ers axillary, sessile, racemose, alternate, unilateral, disposed in 

 2 rows, dirty yellow, veined with purple, or yellow with a dark 

 bottom. 



1 H. NI'GER (Lin. spec. 257. hort. cliff. 56. fl. suec. no. 

 199.) clothed with clammy villi ; stem branched ; leaves sessile, 

 semi-decurrent, stem-clasping, sinuated ; flowers almost sessile ; 

 corolla reticulated ; teeth of calyx mucronate. $ , H. Native 

 throughout Europe and Caucasus ; and of the North of India, 

 among rubbish ; but always near the habitation of man ; in 

 many parts of Britain, among rubbish, and on dunghills. Oed. 

 fl. dan. t. 1452. Smith, engl. bot. t. 591. Pursh, fl. amer. 

 sept. 1. p. 141. Woodv. med. bot. 143. t. 52. Blackw. herb, 

 t. 550. Plenck, icon. 97. H. flavus, Fuschs. hist. 833. Stem 

 branched. Radical leaves pinnatifidly sinuated. Corollas pale 

 yellowish-brown, beautifully reticulated with purple veins ; and 

 with a deep purple bottom. Linnanis says it is not touched by 

 any quadruped, except perhaps the goat. The English name of 

 the genus is probably derived from its being noxious to poultry. 

 In Germany the plant is called Blhenkraut ; in Dutch Bulsen- 

 kruid ; in Danish Bulsme and Honsebane ; in Swedish Bolnort 

 and Honsabale; in French La Jusquame ; in Italian Guisqtuamo, 

 Fataporcina ; in Spanish Belena and Velena ; in Portuguese 

 ^liemendro, VelenJio, Yosciamo ; in Russian Belena. 



The leaves of henbane have a strong and peculiar smell when 

 bruised, something like tobacco, especially when burnt ; and on 

 burning they sparkle as if they contained a nitrate. From the 

 writings of Dioscorides and others, it appears to have been long 

 used in the practice of medicine. By Celsus it was applied ex- 

 ternally as a collyrium in ophthalmia; for allaying the pain of 

 toothache ; and he gave it internally as an anodyne. Its virtues 

 depend upon an alkaloid principle discovered by M. Brandes, 

 which is called hyocyamia. The use of henbane was for a long 

 period entirely relinquished, until revived by Dr. Stoerk, of 

 \ ienna, in those cases wl.ere an anodyne is requisite ; and 

 where there are objections to the use of opium, it is now much 

 employed. In a moderate dose it often produces sweat, and 

 sometimes an eruption of pustules, generally sound sleep, suc- 

 ceeded by serenity of mind, and recruited vigour of the body ; 

 but, like other narcotics, instead of these, it sometimes gives rise 

 to vertigo, headache, and general uneasiness. With some indi- 

 viduals it occasions vomiting, cholic pains, &c. In excessive 

 doses its effects are fatal ; general debility, delirium, remarkable 

 dilatation of the pupils of the eyes, convulsions, and death. 

 Upon the whole, like opium, it is a powerful anodyne; and, like 

 cicuta, it is free from any constipating effects, having rather a 

 contrary tendency. It is employed in wandering rheumatic 



pains, in indurations of the mammae, painful swellings whether 

 schirrous or not, scrofulous and cancerous ulcers, &c. : under 

 the form of a cataplasm of the bruised leaves, with bread and 

 milk ; of an ointment made of powder of the leaves, with wax 

 and oil ; of a simple powder sprinkled on the sore, or of a de- 

 coction with milk as an injection. An infusion, prepared by 

 digesting the bruised leaves in olive oil, is also usefully ap- 

 plied in inflammations of the bowels, kidneys, urethra, &c. An 

 extract from the leaves, or from the seeds, is the form in which 

 it is given internally ; and it has been used with advantage in a 

 variety of nervous affections, as mania, melancholia, epilepsy, 

 hysteria, &c. ; in glandular swellings ; in obstinate ulcerations ; 

 to allay inordinate action, or to mitigate pain. Its dose may be 

 gradually increased from half a grain : Cullen pushed it to the 

 length of 30 grains to a dose. 



The extract of henbane has lately been much used by ocu- 

 lists, for dilating the pupils of the eyes ; in order to facilitate 

 the extraction or breaking down of the cataract ; to diminish 

 sensibility ; to destroy adhesions ; to reduce protrusions of the 

 iris, and to dilate contraction of the pupil. The mode of appli- 

 cation is by dropping a few drops of solution of the extract into 

 the eye, or applying them with a camel's-hair pencil. The 

 greatest effect is produced in about 4 hours, and it is generally 

 over in 12 hours; and vision is not impaired during its ac- 

 tion. 



Black or Common Henbane. Fl. June, July. Britain. PI. 

 2 to 4 feet. 



2 H. AGRE'STIS (Kit. ex Schultes, cestr. fl. ed. 2d. p. 383.) 

 stem simple, downy ; leaves smoothish, sessile, semi-decurrent, 

 sinuately toothed ; flowers sessile ; corolla reticulated. () H. 

 Native of Bohemia, Austria, Hungary; as well as of the North 

 of India, in corn-fields. Mart, et Koch. fl. germ. 2. p. 225. 

 Sweet, fl. gard. 1. t. 27. H. niger, Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 237. 

 H. niger, /3, agrestis, Nees, in Lin. trans. 17. p. 77. H. niger, 

 ft, annuus, Sims, bot. mag. 2394. H. Bohemicum, Schmidt, fl. 

 bohem. no. 230. ? Flowers rather smaller than those of H. 

 niger, and darker in colour. 



Field Henbane. Fl. April, May. Clt. 1820. PI. 1 foot. 



3 H. PA'LLIDUS (Waldst. et Kit. ex Willd. enum. 1. p. 228.) 

 leaves stem-clasping, angular ; radical ones angularly toothed ; 

 flowers sessile; corolla one colour. Q. H. Native of Hungary. 

 Very like H. niger ; but differs from it in the root being an- 

 nual, and in the flowers being yellow, without any purple 

 veins. 



Pafe-flowered Henbane. Fl. April, May. Clt. 1815. PI. 

 1 to 2 feet. 



4 H. A'LBUS (Lin. spec. 257. hort. cliff. 56.) leaves peti- 

 olate : lower ones orbicular, entire ; the rest from cordate to 

 ovate at the base, sinuated; flowers sessile. 0. H. Native 

 from the South of Europe to Tauria, among rubbish, on walls, 

 and on road sides near the sea. Lam. ill. t. 117. f. 2. Mill, 

 fig. t. 149. Sibth. et Smith, fl. graec. t. 230. St. Hil. pi. fr. 

 45. t. 5. Bull. herb. t. 99. Sabb. hort. 1. t. 191. Blackw. 

 t. 111. Besl. eyst. 8. t. 8. f. 2. Plant clothed with white 

 hairs. Calycine segments ovate : lower ones the smallest. 

 Corolla yellow, or greenish-yellow, with a white or greenish 

 bottom. The corolla varies, with the base dark purple or 

 green ; hence Miller has made two species, H. major and H. 

 albus. The first of these having the flowers on short pedicels, 

 of a pale yellow colour, with very dark purple bottoms ; and 

 growing naturally on islands of the Archipelago. This is the 

 H. major, albo similis, umbilico floris atropurpureo, Tourn. cor. 

 p. 5 ; the plant figured in Flora Graeca. The second has the 

 flowers in larger bunches, sessile on the ends of the branches, ot 

 a greenish-yellow colour, with green bottoms. This is a native 



