THE POTATO AND NIGHTSHADE FAMILY. 



539 



nation, hence the irregular nature of its scarlet ribbed fruits. 

 Z. esculentum is the one generally cultivated for food, and L. 

 cemsiforme and L. pyriforme are grown as ornamental plants. 

 These are considered as distinct species by botanists ; but they 

 cross readily with each other and with L. esculentum. An 

 elegant variety, called the " Grape Tomato," was exhibited at 

 South Kensington in 1875, an d this was obtained by crossing 

 the "Cherry-fruited Tomato" (L. cerasiforme) with " Hepper's 

 Goliah," one of the best cultural forms of L. esculentum. It 

 bears long clusters of fruit as large as blackbirds' eggs, and of 

 a bright scarlet colour. The " New Greengage Tomato " is a 

 beautiful yellow-fruited form of the last-named species, its fruits 

 being about the size of pigeons' eggs, and of an excellent 

 flavour. (Fqr a paper on the species and varieties of this 

 esteemed fruit, see ' Trans. Hort. Soc.,' in. 342.) M. Naudin 

 gives particular^ of some Petunia hybrids, raised by himself, in 

 the ' Revue Horticole,' 1861, p. 396. 



Datura (Thorn- Apples). A group of poisonous plants, prin- 

 cipally annuals, and natives of the tropics. One species, how- 

 ever, D. Stramonium, is a weed in this country. All are readily 



Ripe fruits of Datura Stramonium, L. a, Ripe seed enlarged. 







multiplied from seeds, sown in the open air in spring. Nu- 

 merous hybrid Daturas have been raised by M. Naudin (see 

 'Jour. Royal Hort. Soc.,' 1866, p. 2). "In 1862 M. Naudin 

 made numerous crosses, all of them successful, between Datura 

 lcevis,ferox, Stramonium, and quercifolia, four species perfectly 

 distinct, between which there are no known (natural) interme- 

 diates, and which, moreover, do not appear. susceptible of vari- 

 ation. D. Stramonium, Icevis, and ferox belong to the white- 



