NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 



Stem. — Stout, smooth, branching, one to three feet 

 high. 



Leaves. — Large, smooth, ovate, with an irregular wavy 

 toothed margin. Deeply veined, long-petioled. 



Flowers. — Large Morning-Glory-like flowers, white, 

 opening in the afternoon with heavy odor. Erect and 

 solitary in the forks of the branches. 



Calyx. — Large, tubular, five-toothed, angular, separat- 

 ing transversely above the base in fruit, the upper part 

 falling away. 



Corolla. — Funnel-form, deep-throated, with a large and 

 spreading border, five-toothed, plaited. 



Stamens. — Five, inserted on the corolla. 



Pistil. — Ovary one; style one; stigma two-lipped. 



Fruit. — Globular, prickly capsule, two to four-celled; 

 seeds rather large and flat. 



Pollinated by moths and butterflies. Nectar-bearing. 



The common name of this vagabond from Asia 

 emphasizes the fact that it made its earliest appear- 

 ance in this country on the Virginian coast, and was 

 first really identified at Jamestown, hence its early 

 name Jimson-Weed, which, since the schoolmaster 

 has been abroad, has been changed to Jamestown- 

 Weed. It is believed that the seeds came originally 

 in ballast that chanced to be dumped at Jamestown and 

 so the plant first appeared there. Well known in 

 Europe, it is there regarded as a native of Asia. 



The vagabond habits of this ill-smelling weed, 

 since no garbage pile or waste ground is too gross for 

 its home, rouse our prejudices against it and make 

 us think that the plant itself is unsightly, which really 

 is not the case. The following description gives, 

 perhaps, the general state of mind regarding it. " Jim- 



192 



