SOLANE^.. 



617 



euphrasia, are slightly bitter, but possess no 

 i-emarkable properties. Decoction of veronica 

 officinalis is recommended as a substitute for tea. 

 The scrophularitB are generally bitter, acrid, and 

 nauseating, producing purging and vomiting. 

 Digitalis diminishes the force of the circulation, 

 increases the secretion of the saliva and urine, 

 and may produce vomiting, dejection, vertigo, 

 and death. 



SoLANE^, Jussieu. In this family are found 

 herbaceous plants, shrubs, and even small trees, 

 sometimes furnished with prickles on several of 

 their parts, having simple or compound leaves, 

 which are alternate, or sometimes geminate 

 towards the upper part of the twigs. Their 

 flowers, which are often very large, are either 

 extra-axillar, or form spikes or racemes. Their 

 monosepalous, persistent calyx, has five shallow 

 divisions. The corolla, which is monopetalous, 

 and in most cases regular, presents very diver- 

 sified forms, with five more or less plicate lobes. 

 The stamina, which are equal in number to the 

 lobes of the corolla, have their filaments free, 

 rarely monadelphous at the base. The ovary is 

 seated on a hypogynous disk, and has commonly 

 two, rarely three or four polyspermous cells, 

 the ovules of which are attached at the inner 

 angle. The style is simple, terminated by a 

 two-lobed stigma. The fruit is either a cap- 

 sule, with two or four polyspennous cells, open- 

 ing by two or four valves, or a two-celled or 

 three-celled berry. The seeds, sometimes reni- 

 form, and having a granulated episperm, have a 

 more or less curved embryo, in a fleshy endo- 

 sperm. 



The solaneae are very intimately allied to the 

 sei'ophularinse, but differ from them in having 

 their leaves generally alternate, their corolla 

 regular, their stamina of the same number as 

 the lobes of the corolla, and especially in having 

 their embryo curved upon itself. The last men- 

 tioned character is sometimes the only one which 

 eq^ually distinguishes the solanece with irregular 

 corollas fi-om certain scrophularinas. The genera 

 of this family form two sections, according as 

 the fruit is fleshy or capsular. 



1. Fruit capsular: nicotiana, verbascum, hyoscy- 

 amus, datura, &c. 



2. Fruit fleshy : solatium, atropa, capsicum, 

 physalis, lycium, &c. 



The plants of this family may be considered 

 generally as narcotic or poisonous. The pro- 

 perties of tobacco are well known. The leaves 

 of hyoscyamus,- datura, and atropa, produce 

 nausea and vertigo. Datura stramonium has 

 been employed in epilepsy and asthma. The juice 

 of atropa belladonna, besides its general effects, 

 dilates the pupil. The verbascums, again, are 

 mucilaginous and mild. Solanum dulcamara, 

 a poisonous or narcotic plant, belongs to the 

 same genus as the potato, the root and berry of 



which have no narcotic effect even when eaten 

 raw, and of which the former is one of our. most 

 wholesome esculents. The fruits of solanum 

 esculentum, and other species, are also eaten. 



AoANTHACEiE, Jussicu. The acanthacese are 

 herbs or shrubs, with opposite leaves, flowers 

 disposed in spikes, aud accompanied with brac- 

 teas at their base. Their calyx is monosepalous, 

 with four or five divisions, regular or irregular. 

 The corolla is monopetalous, irregular, commonly 

 bilabiate. The stamina are two or four, in the 

 latter case tetradynamous. The ovary has two 

 cells, which contain two or a greater number of 

 ovules, and is applied upon an annular hypogy- 

 nous disk. The style is simple, terminated by 

 a two-lobed stigma. The fruit is a capsule, with 

 two cells, which are sometimes monospermous, 

 and opens elastically into two valves, each of 

 which carries with it half of the dissepiment. 

 The seeds are generally supported upon a filiform 

 podosperm, and their embryo, which is placed 

 immediately under their proper integument, is 

 destitute of endosperm, and has its radicle gene- 

 rally turned towards the hilum. 



This family diff^ers from the scrophularinese in 

 having its seeds supported upon a long podos- 

 perm, in having its embryo destitute of endos- 

 perm, as in justicia, ruellia, thunbergia, &c. 

 The species are generally bitter and tonic, but 

 their properties are little known. 



Jasmine.^, Jussieu, Jasminece and Uliacem 

 Ventenat. Ofe'MiE,Link. This family is composed 

 of shrubs, small trees, or even trees of very large 

 size, with opposite, rarely alternate, simple, or 

 pinnate leaves. The flowers are hermaphrodite, 

 excepting in the %%Tms, fraxinUs, in which they 

 are alternate. The calyx is monosepalous, tur- 

 binate in its lower part. The corolla is mono- 

 petalous, often tubular and irregular, with four 

 or five lobes, which are sometimes so deep that 

 the corolla seems polypetalous as in ornus, chio- 

 nanthus. It is sometimes entirely wanting. 

 The stamina are only two. The ovary has two 

 cells, each containing two suspended ovules. The 

 style is simple, and terminated by a two-lobed 

 stigma. The fruit is sometimes a two-celled 

 capsule, indehiscent, or opening by two valves ; 

 sometimes it is fleshy, and contains an osseous 

 nucleus. The proper integument of the seed is 

 thin or fleshy. The endosperm is fleshy or hard, 

 and contains an embryo having the same direc- 

 tion as the seed. 



The genera of this family may be divided 

 into two sections. 



1. Fruit dry, LilaoejE: lilas,fontanesia,frax- 

 inus, nyctanthes. 



2. Fruit fleshy, Jasminej! : jasminum, olea, 

 Ugustrmn, philyrea, &c. 



Manila is the concrete juice of several species 

 oi fraxinus. The flowers of several species of 

 jasminum yield a fragrant essential oil used as a 

 4i 



