396 HENBANE. 



flowers are nearly sessile, and terminate the stem and branches 

 in a long leafy spike, all turned in one direction, and somewhat 

 pendulous. The calyx is tubular, five-cleft, veined, persistent. 

 The corolla is funnel-shaped, divided into five obtuse lobes ; 

 the tube nearly white, purplish at the orifice, and the limb pale 

 yellow or straw colour, elegantly reticulated with brownish pur- 

 ple veins. The five filaments are subulate, downy at the base, 

 and tipped with cordate purple anthers. The germen is round- 

 ish, surmounted by a filiform purple style, as long as the 

 stamens, terminated by a capitate stigma. The capsule is ovate, 

 with a furrow on each side, two-celled, opening by a lid, and 

 firmly inclosed in the calyx. The seeds are numerous, obovate, 

 curved, brown, hard, and covered with minute depressions. 

 Plate 24, fig. 3, (a) calyx, (&) corolla, opened, (c) pistil, 

 (rf) capsule detached from the calyx. 



This plant occurs in waste places, especially m chalky soil, 

 near towns and villages. It is found in m.ost parts of the 

 civilized world. It flowers in July. 



The generic name is compounded of vs, vog, a hog, and 

 xva,y.o;, a bean, the fruit being eaten with impunity by hogs. 

 The common English name refers to the fatal effects of the 

 plant upon poultry. 



Qualities. — The lurid appearance, and heavy odour of this 

 plant, together with its clamminess to the touch, seem to indi- 

 cate its noxious qualities. The odour somewhat resembles that 

 of the black currant, but it is stronger and more disagreeable. 

 The herb is almost insipid to the taste, and the root sweetish. 

 The leaves when burnt have somewhat the odour of tobacco, 

 and they sparkle with a deflagration like nitre. Geiger and 

 Hesse * have lately discovered in this plant a substance which 

 they consider the pure active principle, and have named it 

 hyoscyamine. It has the form of fine silky crystals, is in- 

 odorous, very acrid, soluble in alcohol and ether, and but 

 sparingly so in water, while the hyoscyamhie of Brandes is 

 oleaginous, and diffuses a fetid odour. An empyreumatic oil 

 of a very energetic nature, is also obtained from it. " The vir- 

 tues of Henbane are completely extracted by dilute alcohol. 

 The watery infusion is of a pale yellow colour and insipid. 



* Journal de Pharmacie, xx. p. *M\2, 



