BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 
from Mintha, the Greek nymph and daughter of Cocy- 
tus, whom Prosperine, the wife of Pluto, is said to have 
transformed into these plants. 
NIGHTSHADE. BLUE BINDWEED. FELON- 
WORT. BITTERSWEET. POISON-FLOWER. 
POISON, OR SNAKE BERRY 
Solanum Dulcamara. Potato Family. 
This pretty Nightshade has been classed among the 
principal poisonous plants of our country, but it is far 
from being the treacherous and violent sort with which 
it has often been associated in folk-lore. It is not of 
the Poison Ivy sort, and can be handled with impunity 
in this respect. At the same time one should refrain 
from testing its effects upon the system. It should not 
be held in the mouth nor chewed, neither should the 
berries be eaten, as some ill effects have been caused 
thereby. It is rather common in moist thickets and 
along damp, shady roadsides, streams and ditches, 
from May to September. The smooth or finely-haired, 
green stalk grows from two to eight feet in length, and 
is perennial. It is branched, straggling and climbing, 
and has a rank, coarse odour. The thin, alternating, 
dark green, toothless leaves taper toward the tip and 
are set on slender stems. The lower ones are usually 
heart-shaped while the upper ones are deeply cut at the 
base into two narrow, flaring lobes or wings with pointed 
tips. The veinings show on the under side, and the 
midrib is coarse. The surface is frequently marked 
with irregular, pale rusty spots. The enticing, yellow- 
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