250 WEEDS AND USEFUL PLANTS. 



Obs. This singular plant formerly *a great pest among the flax crops 

 has become quite rare, since the culture of flax has declined. There 

 are several native species of this genus, the most common of which, C* 

 Grrono'yii, Wittd., is often seen in swampy places, from August to Octo- 

 ber, twining over other plants in tangled masses, which have been 

 likened to bunches of threads of yarn, and to copper wires. 



ORDER III. SOLANA'CE^E. (NIGHTSHADE FAMILY.) 



Mostly Aer&Sj with a watery juice and alternate leaves without stipules, regular 5-merous and 

 5-androus flowers on bractless pedicels ; corolla plicate or infolded -valvato in the bud ; 

 stamens inserted into the corolla, as many as its lobes and alternate with them. Fruit a 2- 

 celled (rarely 3-5-celled) many -seeded berry or capsule ; seeds withlleshy albumen. 



An Order comprising plants with widely different properties ; sometimes the foliage and 

 fruit are highly poisonous, while on the other hand it affords some of our most valuable 

 esculents. 



*Corolla wheel-shaped. Stamens closely converging or united around the style. Fruit 

 a berry. 



Anthers longer than the very short filaments, and connected with each other, 

 opening lengthwise. 1. LYCOPERSICUM. 



Not connected, opening at the top by two pores. 2. SOLANUM. 



Anthers shorter than the filaments, heart-shaped, opening length- 

 wise. Berry inflated, pod-like, pulp very pungent. 3. CAPSICUM. 

 **Corolla between wheel-shaped and bell-shaped. Anthers separate. 



Calyx becoming inflated around the eatable berry. 4. PHYSALIS. 



***Corolla funnel-shaped, bell-shaped or tubular. Stamens separate ; 



filaments slender. Calyx 5-toothed or 5-lobed. 

 Shrubby with vine-like branches and narrow leaves. 



Corolla funnel-shaped, small. Fruit a berry. 5. LYCIUM. 



Annual herbs with an unpleasant odor. Fruit a pod. 



Corolla and stamens rather irregular. Pod in the urn-shaped calyx 



opening at the top by a lid. 6. HYOSCYAMUS. 



Corolla perfectly regular, long funnel-shaped. 



Calyx 5-angled, long, falling away after flowering. 



Pod large and prickly. 7. DATURA 



Calyx not angled, persistent. Pod smooth. 8. NICOTIANA. 



1, LYCOPER'SICUM, Tournef. TOMATO. * 



[Literally Wolf-Peach a metaphorical name, having reference to the fruit.] 



Calyx 5 - 10-parted, persistent. Corolla rotate ; tube very short ; limb 

 plicate, 5 - 10-lobed. Stamens 5-6, exserted ; anthers oblong-conical, 

 cohering by an elongated membrane at summit, longitudinally dehiscent 

 on the inner side. Ovary 2 - 3-celled, with the placentas adnate to the 

 dissepiment, many-ovuled. Berry 2 -3-celled. Seeds numerous, reui- 

 form, pulpy-villous. Leaves odd-pinnately dissected. Flowers in lateral 

 racemose clusters. 



1. L. ESCULEN'TUM, Mill. Stem herbaceous ; leaves interruptedly 

 pseudo-pinnate, the segments petiolulate, lance-ovate, acuminate, 

 deeply incised-serrate ; fruit depressed-globose, mostly torose. 



ESCULENT LYCOPERSICUM. Tomato, or Tomatoes. Love-apple. 

 Fr. Pomme d' amour. Germ. Der Liebes-Apfel, Span. Tomate. 



