384 THE SOLAKTJM FAMILY. 



on rubbish and waste places, about villages and old castles, in England, 

 southern Scotland, and Ireland. Fl. summer. 



in. SOXiANUlVE. SOLAjSTUM, 



Herbs, shrubs, or, in exotic species, low trees ; the flowers usually in cymes, 

 on short, lateral or terminal peduncles. Calyx of 5 or rarely more divi- 

 sions. Corolla rotate, 5-lobed, with scarcely any tube. Anthers almost 

 sessile, closed or joined together in an erect cone round the style in the cen- 

 tre of the flower, each anther opening in a small pore at the top. Fruit a 

 berry, with several seeds. 



A very large genus, widely spread over the globe, but chiefly in tropical 

 regions, and more especially in South America. 



Climber, shrubby at tbe base. Leaves slightly cordate or 3-lobed . 1. Bittersweet S. 

 Erect annual or biennial. Leaves ovate, angularly toothed .... 2. Black S. 



The cultivated species include the Potato (S. tnierosum), the Tomato 

 or Love-apple (S. Ly coper sicum), the 'Egg-plant or Bnngall (S. Melongena), 

 and several ornamental ones. 



1. BittersTireet Solanum. Solanum Dulcamara, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 565. Bittersweet or Deadly Nightshade.) 



Stem shrubby at the base, with climbing or straggling branches, often 

 many feet in length, but dying far back in winter. Leaves stalked, ovate or 

 ovate-lanceolate, 2 or 3 inches long, usually broadly cordate at the base and 

 entire, but sometimes with an additional smaller lobe or segment on each 

 side, either quite glabrous or downy on both sides as well as the stem. 

 Flowers rather small, blue, vrith yellow anthei-s, in loose cymes, on lateral 

 peduncles shorter than the leaves. Berries small, globular or ovoid, and 

 red. 



In hedges and thickets, in moist shady situations, all over Europe, except 

 the extreme north, represented all across Russian Asia by a closely allied 

 species or perhaps a mere variety. Generally dilFused over England and 

 Ireland, but more rare in Scotland. Fl. summer. 



2. Black Solantiin. Solanum nigrum, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 566.) 



An erect annual or biennial, with vei-y spreading branches, about a foot 

 high ; in Britain usually glabrous or nearly so, but on the Continent often 

 hairy or rough on the angles. Leaves stalked, ovate, with coarse an- 

 gular teeth. Flowers small and white, in little cymes almost contracted 

 into umbels, on short, lateral peduncles. Berries small, globular, usually 

 black, but sometimes, especially on' the Contment, green, yellow, or dingy- 

 red. 



One of the widest-spread weeds over every part of the globe, except the 

 extreme north and south ; varying so much in warmer regions as to have 

 been described under more than forty names. Common in some parts of 

 England and Ireland, but scarcely found in Scotland, except when acciden- 

 tally introduced with cultivation. Fl. the nihole summer and autumn. 



