ee 
The # BYRS Peal Sar HERBAL 
329 
The flowers ftand on fingle ‘footftalks rifing 
from the bofoms of the leaves; and they are large 
and confpicuous : they are hollow, and of a deep, 
but not fhining purple colour. 
The berry is large, round, and black : it has a 
tempting look, and many have been by that led 
to eat of it to their deftruétion. 
It grows in the neighbourhood of towns and 
houfes, on ground where there has fallen ma- 
nure ; but it fhould be rooted out wherever found, 
for children have been often deftroyed by it. - It 
flowers in July. : 
C. Bauhine calls it Solanum melanocerafus. 
Others, Solanum Lethale, and Belladona. ~ 
The works of medical authors abound with in- 
ftances of its effects, and hiftories of thofe who 
have perifhed by it; and experience from time 
to time fhews they have told truth. 
I faw one unhappy inftance in the yeat 1743+ 
a labourer found it in the park of a nobleman 
where he was repairing the pales; and he eat 
heartily of the berries, and gave fome to his chil- 
dren. The fymptoms came on in the following 
manner. 
The man, after two hours, grew light-headed, 
giddy, and unable to ftand ; but not thinking of 
the caufe, fet down to his fupper. He drank 
greedily, but could fcarce fwallow any thing ‘fo- 
lid. - He went to bed, and prefently grew worfe. 
He complained of a dreadful pain in the breaft, 
and difficulty of breathing. It was about five in. 
the afternoon he eat the berries. Thefe fymptoms ~ 
came on between ten and eleven at night; and at 
DIVISION AIL 
Large violet-flowered Deadly Nightfhade, 
Belladona flore magno violaceo, 
The root is compofed of numerous; thick fibres. 
The ftalk is round, firm, upright, and of a 
brownifh colour; not much branched, but full of 
leaves : thefe are oblong, and of a deep green, 
not dented at the edges, but fharp-pointed : they 
have fhort footftalks, and a rim of the leaf runs 
down them. 
e 
twelve, feven hours from the eating them, he fell 
into the moft dreadful ravings. Once ina quar- 
ter of an hour his fenfes would return for a mo- 
ments but he relapfed immediately, and every 
time with more violence. Daring the intervals . 
.of reafon, his breath*was.as-difficult; and he 
complained of a dreadfal dighina/s acrofs his Breaft. 
Toward morning. the ravings went off, but he 
became foolith. He was faint, breathed with 
difficulty, and ftared and flabbered, anfwered fo- 
reign to queftions, and feemed one born an idiot. 
All this time he was affected with a moft pain- 
ful and violent. ftrangury; but by degrees. this 
went off, and he recovered without the help of 
medicines. Before the country-apothecary could 
be had, he was growing better; and he not 
knowing what to advife, left the family to their 
own management. ; 
The children both died in the courfe of the 
night ; and he, when perfectly recovered, and 
queftioned: about the nature of the cafe, an- 
f{wered, that he had been in the condition of one 
very drunk; but faw and underftood all that was 
doing even when he anfwered in the wildeft man- 
ner. : 
This I have feen ; and what is recorded by me- 
dical writers agrees well with it, Indeed no clafs 
of writers are in general more faithful. We read 
of men who have continued in a flate of mad. 
nefs eight or nine days from it, and have reco- 
vered: to children it has generally proved fatal. 
Thofe grown perfons who have perifhed by it, 
have generally died within twelve hours from the 
eating. 
FOREIGN SPECIES. 
The flowers are large, and of a fine violet-co- 
lour: they are placed fingly on fhort footftalks 
rifing from the bofoms of the leaves. 
The fruit is a large berry, placed in the cups 
which is alfo large, and in a manner clofes 
over it, : 
It is a native of Peru, and flowers in Auguft. 
Juffieu calls it Akakengi flore amplo violaceo 
but it is truly of this kind, 
Giistsi Mews 9S) ovuxthe 
CULC KR O.WPLNETS 7 
AR UM © 
rpHere ig not in all the round of Nature a. genus fo fingular as this, nor any about which fyftem- 
makers have had more trouble, none knowing where to ‘place it: yet had they followéd the 
obvious charaéter impreffed -by-Nature in the fruit, the confufion had been avoided ; for whatever dif- 
putes may have arifen from the fingularity of the flower, the fruit is a berry: that admits no doubt» 
and that places it in this clafs. 
The flower has no petals, but numerous threads. The cup is formed of a fingle leaf ; and is large, 
hollow, upright, pointed at the top, and coloured within: it falls with the flower. The fruit is a 
clufter of round berries. ‘The feeds are numerous and roundifh. The leaves are undivided. 
This is a charaéter of the genus comprifed in a-few words; yet punctual, particular, and above 
exception. It plainly diftinguifhes the arum from all other plants, even from two genera nearly al- 
lied to it, and to be defcribed hereafter, arifarum and dragons. 
Linneus feparates it from the generality of the other berry-bearing plants, placing it among the 
gynandria polyandria, the ftamina being numerous, and fixed to the piftil of the flower. He joins the 
avifarum and dracontium with it. 
N° XXXII. 
4P DIVI- 
