GENTIANACE.E. (GENTIAN FAMILY.) 841 



. DATURA, L. JAMESTOWN-WEED. THORN-APPLE. 



Calyx prismatic, 5-toothed, separating transversely above the base in fruit, 

 the upper part falling away. Corolla funnel-form, with a large and spreading 

 5-1 0-toothed plaited border. Stigma 2-lipped. Pod globular, prickly, 4-valved, 

 2-celled, with 2 thick placentae projected from the axis into the middle of the 

 cells, and connected with the walls by an imperfect false partition, so that the 

 pod is 4-celled except near the top, the placentas seemingly borne on the middle 

 of the alternate partitions. Seeds rather large, flat. Bank weeds, tfarcotic- 

 poisonous, with a rank odor, bearing ovate angular-toothed leaves, and large 

 and showy flowers on short peduncles in the forks of the branching stem. (Al- 

 tered from the Arabic name Tatorah.) 



1. D. STRAM6NIUM, L. (COMMON STRAMONIUM.) Leaves ovate, smooth ; 

 stem green ; corolla white, with 5 teeth. Var. TATULA has the stem and 

 corolla tinged with purple. (D Waste grounds ; a well-known weed, with 

 large flowers (3' long). July- Sept. (Adv. from Asia or Trop. Amer.) 



6. NICOTIANA, L. TOBACCO. 



Calyx tubular-bell-shaped, 5-cleft. Corolla funnel-form or salver-form, usu- 

 ally with a long tube ; the plaited border 5-lobed. Stigma capitate. Pod 2- 

 celled, 2 -4-valved from the apex. Seeds minute. Bank acrid-narcotic herbs, 

 mostly clammy-pubescent, with ample entire leaves, and lurid racemed or pani- 

 cled flowers. (Named after John Nicot, who was thought to have introduced the 

 Tobacco into Europe.) 



1. N. RUSTICA, L. (WILD TOBACCO.) Leaves ovate, petioled; tube of 

 the dull greenish-yellow corolla cylindrical, two thirds longer than the calyx, 

 the lobes rounded. Old fields, from New York westward and southward : 

 a relic of cultivation by the Indians. (Adv. from Trop. Amer.) 



N. TABACUM, L., is the cultivated TOBACCO. 



ATROPA BELLADSNNA, L. (DEADLY NIGHTSHADE), a plant with pur- 

 plish-black poisonous berries, has escaped from gardens in one or two places. 



LYCIUM BARBARUM, L. (BARBARY BOX-THORN, or MATRIMONY-VINE), 

 a slightly thorny trailing shrubby vine, well known in cultivated grounds, is yet 

 hardly spontaneous. 



CAPSICUM ANNUUM, L., is the CAYENNE, or BED PEPPER of the gardens. 



ORDER 83. GENTIANACEJE. (GENTIAN FAMILY.) 



Smooth herbs, with a colorless bitter juice, opposite and sessile entire and 

 simple leaves (except in Tribe II.) without stipules, regular fencers with the 

 stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla, which are convolute (rarely im- 

 bricated, and sometimes valvate) in the bud, a l-celled ovary with 2 parietal 

 placentce ; the fruit mostly a 1-valved (septidddT) many-seeded pod. Flow- 

 ers solitary or cymose. Calyx persistent. Corolla mostly wither! ng-per- 

 29* 



