THE CLIMBING SOLANUMS, 



297 



large as a hen's egg, orange-yellow, and curi- I 

 ously marked with five horns or corners near 

 the stalk. Stove. Brazil. 



The Potato Tree (S.crispum). — -A hardy 

 ornamental Solanum, widely grown as a wall 

 shrub in the milder parts of England and Ire- 

 land, but only safe in the warmest districts 

 without this protection. Old plants reach many 

 feet in height, and even when cut by frost 

 quickly renew themselves ; indeed, it is well 

 to prune back the strongest shoots as an aid to 

 flowering. So rapid is its growth that in one 

 season quite a small plant will cover many 

 yards of surface. It is as common in Chili as 

 our English Bittersweet, growing in the poor- 

 est soil ; and poor soil is the best for it as tend- 

 ing to flowers rather than leaf. The leaves near 

 the base are often large and broad, but are 

 smaller on the upper branches and flowering 

 shoots, oval, with a crisped margin. The 

 flowers, carried in late summer, are in massive 

 clusters of purple-blue or mauve-white, some- 

 times succeeded by small white berries ; in 

 the south of France these bunches of fruit are 

 handsome. 



Jasmine-flowered Solanum (S. jasmini- \ 

 oiaes). — This is one of the most beautiful of 

 climbing plants, with neat foliage and starry 

 white flowers, and is quite hardy as a wall 

 shrub in many parts of the south of England 

 and Ireland. It may be kept low, when it flowers 

 freely from side-shoots ; or, if left to itself, it 

 rambles a long distance, bearing its clusters in 

 white profusion. These are useful cut, either 

 for vases or as long sprays. If grown in theopen 

 it should be in a light soil and a cool corner, 

 where protection can be given during severe 

 weather ; it will do well in a north aspect if not 

 too exposed in winter. In the greenhouse it is 

 an excellent pillar plant, but loses its leaves in 

 winter. Spring cuttings make many feet of 

 growth in a season, flowering freely. There is 

 a variety \,jioribundum, which is even more free 

 and its flowers a trifle larger, though smaller 

 in leaf. 



Blue Star-flowered Solanum (S. pensile) . 

 — This fine climber, of vigorous growth, is not 

 often seen in gardens, but a plant is growing in 

 one of the smaller houses at Kew,and has been j 

 beautiful with its hanging clusters of bright 

 violet-blue flowers throughout the summer. 

 The single flowers do not appear at their full 



size, because the outer petals are somewhat 

 reflexed, throwing into relief the star-shaped 

 white eye and yellow stamens in a way that is 

 attractive and unlike other kinds. Demerara 

 and Brazil. 



Sweet-fruited Solanum (S. platense). — 

 This is a true creeper, which, instead of ram- 

 bling over the surrounding vegetation creeps 

 over the ground, rooting freely as it goes, but 



wendland's climbing solanum. 



seldom rising more than a foot high. It is found 

 on the banks of the Rio Plata, covering the 

 poorest ground with its carpet of grey downy 

 leaves. The flowers, coming on short erect 

 stems, are white and bell-shaped, followed by 

 berries of the same colour, which are sweet 

 and eaten as fruit. 



Seaforth's Solanum^. Seaforthianum). — 

 This is a plant of smaller growth than most 

 of its fellows, bearing abundant light green 



