SOLANACEAE — NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 



715 



various products. The currant tomato (L. pimpinellifolmin), a fruit about the 

 size of a currant, is cuUivated as a curiosity. Ground cherries arc much culti- 

 vated. The strawberry tomato {Physalis Alkekengi), a perennial native to 

 southern Europe, has a large fruiting calyx which turns red. The fruit is 

 eaten, but it is not so palatable as the fruit of the Cape gooseberry (P. peruvi- 

 ana), which is native to Peru. The fruit of a native species (P. piibcsccns) is 

 also eaten, but this also is inferior to the Cape gooseberry. 



Belladonna is derived from Atropa Belladonna, a tall glabrous or slightly 

 downy herb, with a perennial rootstock, native to southern Europe and east- 

 ward to Asia Minor. This furnishes the atropin of commerce used for dilating 

 the pupil of the eye. The earliest investigations of the alkaloids of belladonna 

 were made by Bauberlein in 1809, who first determined their presence. Esse 

 was the first to find atropamin C^^H„^^0^, in the roots of the plant, although 

 Schmidt denies the presence of atropin, affirming the presence of hyoscyamin 

 only. Belladonnin, an isomer of the above, is probably also present. The root 

 of Atropa Belladonna sometimes contains from 4/10-1% of the alkaloid and the 

 leaves about half as much. The greatest amount of the alkaloid occurs during 

 the flowering period. Pseudo-hyoscyamin occurs in the roots of Mondragora. 

 The alkaloids mandragorin, C^jH^gNOj, and manacin C2,HggNjOjQ, occur in 

 Bnmfelsia Hopeana. Several other undetermined alkaloids, such as jurubebin, 

 have also been found in the family. 



^ 



Fig. 415. Ground Cherry (.Physalis viscosa). Culti- 

 vated for its fruit. (W. S. Dudgeon). 



The mandrake {Mondragora officinarum) of the ancients was, at one time, 

 supposed to have medicinal virtues. The flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata) 

 is a well known cultivated plant of Brazil. The thorn apple (Datura Metel) is 

 much cultivated, as is the D. meteloides, which has large, sweet-scented flowers. 

 The bittersweet {Solanum Dulcamara), the hardy annual (Schizanthus pinna- 

 tvs), the Brunfelsia latifolia, which has fragrant flowers, and the Cestrum 



