328 
Th BRITISH HERBAL. 
The leaves ftand on thorny and long foot- 
ftalks: they are large, and deeply finuated at the 
edges; and have alfo numerous fharp thorns on 
their ribs. 
The colour is a deep green. 
The flowers are numerous: they ftand at the 
tops of the ftalks on flender pedicles, and are 
deeply divided into fegments, and of a fine blue. 
The fruit is round, and, when ripe, black. 
It is a native of America, and flowers in July. 
Plukenet calls it Solanum annuum nigricans Vir- 
ginianum [pinofifimum flore ceruleo, 
4. Prickly Nightfhade with fmooth cups. 
Solanum {pinofum calycibus levibus. 
The root is compofed of numerous, fpreading 
fibres. : 
The ftalk is firm, upright, prickly, and not 
much branched: the thorns are ftiff, and very 
fharp; and they ftand ftrait. 
The leaves are long, and confiderably broad : 
they have fhort footftalks, they are deeply fi- 
nuated at the edges, and they have fome prickles 
on them. 
The flowers ftand on long, flender, prickly 
footftalks ; and they are large and blue. 
The berries are round, black, and glofly. 
It is a native of the warmer parts of America 
and Afia, and flowers in July. 
Dillenius calls it Solanum Indicum {pinofum flore 
boraginis. 
8. Apple of Sodom. 
Solanum fpinis recurvis flore ceruleo. 
The root is Jong, thick, and furnifhed with 
many fibres. : : 
The ftalks are numerous, upright, branched, 
of a pale yellowifh brown colour, and woody fub- 
ftance, and four feet high: they are armed with 
fhort and robuft prickles, which bend fomewhat 
downwards, 
The leaves are long, and confiderably broad : 
they have very fhort footftalks; and they are 
deeply divided at the edges in the pinnated form: 
they are of a dark green; and they have alfo 
prickles on them. 
GEE 
aU es 
The flowers ftand on long footftalks, fome- 
times fingly, fometimes many together: they are 
large, and of a fky-blue. The fruit is large, 
round, and black. 
It is a native of many parts of the Eaft, and 
flowers in July. 
Plukenet calls it Solanum pomiferum frutefcens 
officinarum {pinofum nigricans boraginis flore foliis 
profunde laciniatis. Itis called apples of Sodom 
from the place. 
The fruit has a tempting afpect; but, when 
chewed, the tafte is very difagreeable, 
g. Bahama Nightfhade. 
Solanum anguftifolium {pinofum. 
The root is compofed of numerous, thick fibres. 
The ftalk is woody, firm, upright, not much 
branched, and five or fix feet high : it is armed 
with thorns ; but they are fhort, and not very. 
numerous. 
The leaves are numerous, long, narrow, of a 
beautiful green, and fixed on fhort footftalks : 
they are very lightly waved on the edges, and 
they have prickles along the middle rib. 
The flowers are large and beautiful: they are 
of a fine pale blue, with a tinge of purple ; and 
have yellow buttons in the centre. 
The berries are fmall, round, and black. 
It is a native of the Bahama iflands, and 
flowers in Augutft. 
Dillenius calls ic Solanum Babamenfe fpinofum 
petalis anguftis reflexis. The flower is fometimes 
white or flefh-coloured. 
The qualities of thefe foreign nighifhades are 
not perfectly known ; but, upon the whole, this ge- 
nus has a much worfe character than it deferves. 
Nighifbade in general is accounted poifonous ; 
but, as we have fhown with refpeé&t to moft of 
the fpecies, there is little reafon for fuch a cha- 
raéter. The opinion feems to have arifen from 
confounding the plant next to be defcribed under 
the fame name. : 
That is indeed poifonous ; and having, bya 
latitude of fpeech, been called night/bade, all the 
reft have been fuppofed of the fame qualities. 
XI. 
DEADLY NIGHTSHADE. 
BELLADON A. 
A ies flower is formed of a fingle petal, and is deep, hollowed, and very lightly divided into five 
fegments at the edge.. The cup is made of a fingle piece, divided into five equal fegments ; 
and it remains when the flower is fallen, The fruit is a round berry, placed in the cup. The feeds 
are kidney-fhaped. 
Linnzeus places it among the pentandria monogynia ; the threads in the flower being five, and the 
ftyle from the rudiment of the fruit fingle. He takes the received name from the plant, and calls 
it atropa., © 
DIVISION I. 
Deadly Nightfhade. 
Belladona ditta folanum Lethale. 
The root is long, large, and creeping. 
BRITISH 
SPE CIES. 
branched : their colour is brown toward the bote 
tom, and higher up a pale green.’ 
The leaves are numerous, very large, and of a 
fine ftrong green: they are long and. broad, 
The ftalks are numerous, firm, upright, and pointed at the ends, but not indented at the edges. . 
The 
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