200 



SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



of our common weeds belong to tbia faroilj, as Mullein 

 {Verhascurn), Toad-Flax {Linarla), 

 Lousewort (Pedicularia), etc. 



6. Solanaceae. The Night- 

 shade family comprises from twelve 

 hundred to fifteen hundred species, 

 found chiefly in the Tropics, The 

 plants have often a suspicious look, 

 and contain a poisonous principle. 

 The flowers are five-raerous and regular (Fig. 312), and 

 the fruit is a two-celled pod or berry. The Potato {Solor. 

 mum tvherosurn) is a native of America, from Mexico to 

 Chili ; but in its wild state the tubers are very small. By 

 culture and selection, for two or three hundred years, they 

 have been enormously increased (Fig. 313), and are now 

 cultivated in nearly all countries. The cells of the tubers 

 are filled with large, oval starch grains (Fig. 348). The 

 Egg-plant {8. Melongena,), cultivated for its edible fruit, is 

 a native of South 



America. For its "**""*''*'■"''"'' ™ 



wholesome fruit, the 

 Tomato (Lycoperd- 

 cum esculentuvi), a 

 native also of South 

 America, is generally 

 cultivated in warm 

 and temperate coun- 

 tries. Belladonna is 

 obtained from the ^is 



Deadly Nightshade (^Atropa Belladonna), a plant of the 



Fig. 312. Rotate coroUa of the Potato-plant. Fig. 313. Potato Tubers; */, stem; 

 /, soil ; Tf roots. 



