THE NIGHTSHADES 447 



house. It is from this, the most poisonous of all 

 our British plants, that the preparation known as 

 belladonna is procured. It is botanically known 

 as the Atropa belladonna, and is otherwise styled 

 the sleeping nightshade, and the dwale, the latter 

 appellation being probably derived from the French 

 deuil, grief, mourning, though the French term it 

 the morelle mortelle. 



The difference between the two nightshades is 

 very marked. The species in question bears 

 large heart-shaped leaves, free from any indenta- 

 tions on their edges, and deeply veined, growing 

 to a considerable height (the specimen to which I 

 have referred being between five and six feet 

 high) ; the flowers bell-shaped, and of a purple 

 colour ; the berries large, and black when ripe. 

 The whole aspect of the plant is significant of its 

 poisonous nature. Its value as a drug is con- 

 siderable ; oculists use it largely on account of 

 its power of dilating the pupil of the eye. The 

 origin of its botanical name is Italian, as it was 

 formerly used by the Italian ladies as a cosmetic. 



The woody nightshade, or, as it is sometimes 

 termed, the bittersweet, from its peculiar flavour, is 

 little less poisonous than the deadly nightshade, 

 and also possesses certain medicinal properties. 

 Both plants, in common with the potato, tomato, 

 capsicum, and henbane, belong to the genus 

 Solanum. The leaves are lance-shaped with two 

 distinct lobes on either side of their base ; the 

 flowers, which are deep purple, are somewhat 



