968 



THE NATURE BOOK 



WOODY NIGHTSHADE, OR BITTER-SWEET (IN FRUIT). 



and give quite a touch of colour to the 

 otherwise bare hedge. 



The Black Bryony is especially 

 interesting as being the sole British 

 member of the Yam family. This 

 plant should not be confused with 

 the \\'hite Bryony {Bryonia Dioica), 

 for although both are climbing plants, 

 and both produce red berries, they 

 belong to totally different families. 

 The leaves of the White Bryony are 

 large, five-lobed, and rough in texture, 

 and from the stem at the base of 

 each is a long spiral tendril. The 

 leaves of the Black Bryony, as I 

 have already noted, are very bright, 

 heart-shaped, with smooth edges ; and 

 this plant has no tendrils, but climbs 

 by means of its stem. 



Another wild fruit almost sure to 

 be noticed is the Woody Nightshade, 

 or Bitter-Sweet {Solaniim diilcamani). 

 The latter name is given from the 

 fact that if a piece of the stem be 

 tasted it will at first be found bitter, 

 but afterwards sweet. This plant 

 grows in the hedgerow, forcing its 

 stems amongst other sturdier ]:)lants, 

 so gaining support from them. Tlie 



shrub 



flowers, borne in small clusters, 

 are deep purple, with bright 

 yellow anthers. It is interesting 

 to note that the clusters of 

 flowers invariably all face one 

 way and the leaves another. 

 The fruit, ovate in shape, is at 

 first a bright green, but as it 

 travels towards maturity it 

 changes gradually until it be- 

 comes a rich crimson like the 

 berries of the Bryony. Each fruit 

 contains a number of seeds. 

 This plant is often mistaken for 

 its more dangerous relative, tlie 

 Deadly Nightshade, or Dwale 

 {Atropa belladonna), which bears 

 solitary pale purple, bell-shaped 

 flowers and dark purple berries 

 almost as large as a cherry. 

 Fortunately, this last is the rarer 

 of the two, but it should also be 

 added that the juice of the stem 

 of the Woody Nightshade is 

 poisonous. 



The Alder Buckthorn (Rham- 



nus frangnla) is a fairly common 



and, indeed, is more often met with 



CRAB APPLE (IN FRUIT). 



