31 



70. Solanum iiigrum. Lin, Stem and hrunchea her- 

 baceous, erect, angular, heaves ovate, bluntly-toothed 

 and waved, attenuate at base. Flowers lunbellate, 

 lateral, drooping, white. Berries gl()l)Ose, black. 



The common Nightshade (Nacht-schaduwen) grows wild 

 in almost all parts of the globe. It has a nauseous smell, 

 and is slightly narcotic. In South Africa the expressed 

 juice of the herb, and its decoction, made with fat and 

 wax into an ointment, are often successfully employed in 

 cleaning and healing foul ulcers. — Frequent amongst garden 

 weeds, under walls, on dunghills, etc. 



LYPERIA. Benth. 

 ( ScrophulnriacecB?) 



XIV. — 2. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA. LIN. SYST. 



71. Lyperia crocea. Eckl. A little branchy shrub. 

 Leaves very small, wedge-shaped, fasciculate, obtuse, 

 entire, smooth. Peduncles elongated, axillary. Flowers 

 sub-racemose, yeUow. Tube of the corolla much 

 longer than the calyx. 



This bush deserves notice as a drug, and in all proba- 

 bility will, ere long, become an article of colonial export. 

 It grows abundantly in some parts of the Eastern districts, 

 whence it has found its way into the dispensary. The 

 flowers, which are called Geele hloemetjes^ closely resemble 

 Saffron in smell and taste ; they possess similar medical 

 properties, and as an antispasmodic, anodyne, and stimu- 

 lant, ought to rank with the Crocus sativus. Here, they 

 have as yet been only used with success in the convulsions 

 of children, but they deserve a more general trial. On 

 account of the fine orange colour which they impart, they 

 are in daily request among the Mohamedans, who use 

 them for the purpose of dying their handkerchiefs. This 

 drug has been observed to be sometimes adulterated by the 

 admixture of other plants of the same genus, which are 

 less efficacious. 



MENTHA. Lin. 

 [LabiatcB.) 



XIV. — 1. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA. LIN. SYST. 



72. Mentha capensis, Thhg. Stem erect, 4-edged, 

 covered all over with a white shag. Branches alter- 

 nate, divaricating. Leaves opposite, sessile, subcorrlate 



