594 



THE SOLANUM FAMILY. 



Fig. 708. 

 more rare in Scotland. 



often many feet in length, but dying far 

 back in winter. Leaves stalked, ovate or 

 ovate-lanceolate, 2 or 3 inches long, 

 usually broadly cordate at the base and 

 entire, but sometimes with an additional 

 smaller lobe or segment on each side, 

 either quite glabrous or downy on both 

 sides as well as the stem. Flowers 

 rather small, blue, with yellow anthers, 

 in loose cymes, on lateral peduncles 

 shorter than the leaves. Berries small, 

 globular or ovoid, and red. 



In hedges and thickets, in moist shady 

 situations, all over Europe, except the 

 extreme north, represented all across 

 Russian Asia by a closely allied species 

 or perhaps a mere variety. Generally 

 diffused over England and Ireland, but 

 FL summer. 



2. Black Solanum. Solanum nigrum, Linn. (Eig. 709.) 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 566.) 



An erect annual or biennial, with very 

 spreading branches, about a foot high ; 

 in Britain usually glabrous or nearly so, 

 but on the Continent often hairy or 

 • rough on the angles. Leaves stalked, 

 ovate, with coarse angular teeth. Flowers 

 small and white, in little cymes almost 

 contracted into umbels, on short, late- 

 ral peduncles. Berries small, globular, 

 usually black, but sometimes, especially 

 on the Continent, green, yellow, or 

 dingy-red. 



One of the widest-spread weeds over 

 every part of the globe, except the ex- 

 treme north and south; varying so 

 much in warmer regions as to have been 

 described under more than forty names. 

 Common in some parts of England and 

 Ireland, but scarcely found in Scotland, 

 except when accidentally introduced 

 the whole summer and autumn. 



Fig. 709. 

 with cultivation. Fl. 



