WOODY NIGHTSHADE, oe BITTER 

 SWEET. — Solanum dulcamara. 



Class PENTA^•DRIA. Ovdci' MOXOGYNIA. Ncit. Ofd. SOLANE^B. 



Nightshade Tribe. ^^^^J^^^ M^.t^T'-y^ 



The lurid purple blossoms of tliis plant would 

 lead the botanist to infer, at the first glance, that 

 poison lurked there. The scarlet berries which in 

 the latter paii: of summer deck the branches, and 

 wliich in winter hang in glistening clusters among 

 withered boughs and leaves, are vvxll known to be 

 noxious, and children are tempted by their beauty to 

 taste these fruits. In cases where this occurs, warm 

 water should be given in great quantities, until 

 medical aid arrives. The roots of this Nightshade 

 are in scent like the potato, and its familiar name 

 originates in their flavour, which is at first bitter 

 in the mouth, and afterwards sweet. The simi- 

 larity in their blossoms also points out the affinity 

 between this plant and the potato. This valu- 

 able root belongs to another species of the same 

 genus [Solanum fuherosum), audits connexion with 

 the poisonous family of the Nightshades made Lin- 

 naeus long mistnistful of its wholesome qualities. 

 The berries, the leaves, and even the uncooked 

 tubers of the potato, possess indeed, in a milder 



