190 



N. Ord. SOLANACE^E. 

 Tribe Solanece. 



Genus Solanum,* Linn, (emend.) Dunal in DC. Prod., xiii 

 (1852), pp. 27387. One of the largest known genera, 

 containing about 1000 species, for the most part tropica} ^ 



and S. American. 



190. Solanum Dulcamara, t Linn., Sp. PL ed. 1, p. 186 (1753). 

 Bitter- Sweet. Woody Nightshade. 



Syn. Dulcamara flexuosa, Moench. 



Figures. Woodville, t. 85 ; Steph. & Ch., 1. 17 ; Bigelow, i, 1. 18 ; Hayne, 

 ii, t. 39; Nees, t. 188 ; Berg & Sch., t. 20 b ; Curt., Fl. Lond., fasc. i ; 

 Syme,E. Bot., vi, t. 930; Reich., Ic. Germ., xx, t. 1633. 



Description. A climbing shrub, reaching, when supported by 

 other plants, many feet in height. Rootstock woody, widely 

 creeping, irregular, branched, pale yellow. Stem woody at base, 

 dying far back in the winter, much branched, hollow, wood soft, 

 bark greyish yellow ; branches flexuose, weak, green, glabrous or 

 pubescent. Leaves alternate, stalked, 2 or 3 inches long; the 

 lower ones ovate, usually cordate at the base, the upper ones 

 hastate or auricled, or even with two nearly separate leaflets at 

 the base, margin entire, usually pubescent beneath. Inflorescence 

 consisting of stalked corymbose cymes of 10 20 flowers, projecting 

 at right angles from one side of the stem, extra-axillary, longer 

 than the leaves ; flowers stalked, pedicels slender, tapering down- 

 wards, downy or hairy, purple, divaricate, surrounded at the base 

 by a cup- shaped projection of the axis, ebracteate. Calyx small, 

 5-lobed. Corolla deeply cut into 5 lanceolate acute segments, 

 lurid purple, each with two green spots at the base, spreading or 

 reflexed. Stamens 5, filaments very short, triangular, inserted on 



* The Latin equivalent of the Greek orpvxvov, applied to several plants. 



f Dulcis, sweet, amarus, bitter. It was also called by the mediaeval 

 botanists Amara dulcis and yXvKVTrtKpov words with the same signification 

 as the English Bitter-sweet. 



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