Solatium. 191 



( America, which in our climate attains a height of nearly 

 10 ft. if taken up in autumn and kept through the winter 

 in a house. The stems are stout, smooth, and fleshy. 

 The leaves, which resemble those of the Beet, are of an 

 oval, pointed shape, and of a deep green colour, tinged 

 with violet in the variety purpureum. The flowers are 

 small, rose-colour, in pendent cyme-like clusters, and are 

 succeeded by fruit of the shape and size of a fowl's egg, 

 which become of a fine deep scarlet colour during the 

 winter. Some varieties have flowers tinged with purple 

 and fruit striped with brown. May be placed to great 

 advantage in groups in round beds with dwarfer plants or 

 shrubs at the base, or with climbing plants ascending the 

 stems, but is much better isolated on slopes, etc. It is a 

 vigorous grower, and should have rich soil. 



Solanum crinitipes. A slow-growing woody species 

 with undivided oval leaves somewhat more than a foot 

 long : the young stems and flower-stalks being densely 

 covered with chaffy hairs somewhat like those of a fern. 

 This I have not seen thrive so well in England as the 

 preceding kind, but it is well worthy of trial in full collec- 

 tions in the southern counties. S. America. 



Solanum crinitum. A vigorous-growing species 

 from Guiana, 5 ft. or more in height, with stout stems, set 

 with short strong spines and dense long hairs. It has very 

 large, soft, hairy, spreading, roundish leaves, which in good 

 soil attain a length of 2\ ft. : the upper surface of a 

 tender green colour with violet veinings set with spines, 

 as are also the leaf-stalks ; the under side whitish and 

 more thickly furnished with spines. The hairs and bark 

 on the upper portion of each petiole are of a purplish hue, 



