52 



BLACK NIGHTSHADE. 

 Solatium nigrum L. 



Other names: Common nightshade; nightshade; deadly nightshade; 

 garden nightshade. (Fig. 31.) 



Description and habitat. — A smooth annual. 1 to 2 feet high, with rough- 

 angular, widely branching stems; ovate leaves, 2 to 4 inches long, with 

 wavy margins: drooping clusters of small white flowers, and black, 

 globose, juicy berries, which ripen from July until September or Octo- 

 ber. The black nightshade is a common introduced weed, in rich, 

 shaded grounds and fields in all parts of the United States east of 



South Dakota and Arkansas, and in 

 wet or damp places westward to the 

 Pacific Ocean. 



Poisonous properties. — Solanine, a 

 crystalline alkaloid-like compound, 

 is present in all parts of the plant, 

 including the ripe berry. It is not 

 classed as one of the most violent 

 poisons, but nevertheless it is de- 

 cidedly active in sufficient quantities. 

 It is not destroyed by boiling water. 

 The amount of solanine presentin any 

 given part of the plant is not -on- 

 stant, but varies with the conditions 

 of growth. The more musky-odored 

 plants are considered to be the most 

 poisonous. In some the amount of 

 alkaloid present in the ripe fruit and 

 leaves is so small that these parts may 

 be, and are, consumed in considera- 

 ble quantity without any ill conse- 

 quences. Poisoning does sometimes 

 follow, but it is not clear whether this 

 is due to improper preparation or to 

 careless selection of the parts used. 

 In Europe cases of human poison- 

 ing are said to occur in infants over 

 whom the plants are hung to induce sleep. The use of black night- 

 shade either for food or for the latter purpose is certainly not to be 

 recommended without much caution. Cattle seldom eat the plant, but 

 cases of poisoning are recorded for calves, sheep, goats, and swine. 

 - Symptoms and remedies.— The characteristic symptoms are about the 

 same in man and in animals. Thej are : Stupefaction ; staggering ; loss 

 of speech, feeling, and consciousness; cramps, and sometimes convul- 

 sions. The pupil is generally dilated. Death is directly due to a par- 

 alvsis of the lungs, but fortunately few cases are fatal. The antidotes 



Fig. 31.— Black uig'htsba<le(.SY/7'7?u/m nigrum), 

 one-third natural size. 



