SOLAN ACE^E. 99 



branches reduced to spines. Leaves elliptical or lanceolate-ellip- 

 tical, attenuated at the base into short petioles, subacute, entire. 

 Flowers axillary, stalked. Peduncles solitary or 2 or 3 together, 

 shorter than the leaves. Calyx 2-lipped, the lips entire or slightly 

 2-toothed. Corolla salvershaped-funnelshaped ; tube cylindrical ; 

 limb as long as the tube, with 5 oblong obtuse spreading-recurved 

 segments. Stamens exserted ; filaments bearded at the base. Emit 

 oval-ovoid, pointed. 



In hedges and waste places. Not native, but quite naturalized 

 on the South and South-east coasts. 



[England.] Shrub. Summer and Autumn. 



Stem 3 to 6 feet high or more, if it finds support at a greater 

 altitude ; bark smooth, whitish-grey ; branches very numerous, 

 glahrous, slender, with lateral excrescences at the nodes : these 

 excrescences are frequently elongated into spines or abortive 

 branches, or sometimes into short leafy branches at right angles 

 to the direction of the main branch, which has 1 or more raised 

 longitudinal lines. Leaves varying in size, ^ to 3 inches long, 

 spreading, green, rather paler below, with fascicles of small leaves 

 in their axils. Flowers ^ inch across, purple with a pale-green 

 eye with purple streaks when first expanded, but soon fading to 

 livid fawn-colour. Stamens inserted in the upper part of the 

 corolla-tube ; anthers fawn-colour. Berry bright-red, i to f inch 

 long, the base embraced by the spathe-like calyx. Plant glabrous. 



Tea-plant. 



French, Lyciet de Barbarie. German, Gemeiner Tenfelszwirn. 



Loudon tells us that this plant is commonly called the Duke of Argyll's Tea-tree, 

 from the circumstance of a Tea-plant, Thea viridis, having been sent to the Duke of 

 Argyll at the same time as this plant, and the labels having been accidentally changed. 

 It is also called Barbary Box-thorn. 



GENUS III.— AT RO PA. Linn. 



Calyx 5-partite, persistent, slightly acci'escent after flowering, 

 and becoming rotate in fruit. Corolla regular, bellshaped or 

 funnelshaped-bellshaped ; limb of 5 (rarely 10) short segments, 

 imbricated in aestivation. Stamens 5, inserted on the bottom of the 

 corolla-tube, sub-exserted ; filaments elongated ; anthers not con- 

 nivent, opening by longitudinal slits. Fruit a berry with 2 cells. 

 Seeds numerous, sub-rcniform. 



Herbs or shrubs, with entire leaves and purple, greenish, or 

 white flowers, generally extra-axillary and drooping. 



