172 



Descriptive Flora 



as " wonderberry. ' 9 Allen & Gilbert give the following in their 

 Textbook of Botany : 



' ' There has been much discussion as to the poisonous nature 

 of the black nightshade. The ripe fruits are said to have been 

 eaten in considerable quantities without bad effects ; on the other 

 hand, cases have been reported of the poisoning of domestic 

 animals by the eating of the leaves, and experiments seem to 

 show that the berries are sometimes poisonous. " 



Solanum eleagnifolium Cav. Purple Nightshade. "Trompillo". 



Pale, scurfy and silvery-stemmed, prickly plants, woody near 

 the roots and having violet star-shaped flowers with conspicuous 

 yellow anthers. Leaves simple, alternate. Blades scurfy, lanceo- 

 late to oblong, 1 to 6 inches long, usually with wavy margins, 

 silvery underneath. Corolla wheel-shaped, 5-angled, purple or 

 pale violet (sometimes white), 1 inch or less across. Stamens 5, 

 conspicuous with erect yellow anthers, each anther opening by 2 

 pores at the top. Berries yellow, globular, about y 2 inch across. 

 April to October. Common roadside, vacant lot and pasture 

 weed. Fruits are used by Mexicans for curdling milk for cheese. 

 The roots run down in the ground almost indefinitely. 



Solanum torreyi A. Gray. Purple Nightshade. 



Plants with blossoms similar to Solanum eleagnifolium but 

 with more stocky, wider spreading branches, larger and much 

 broader leaves that are shallowly 5 to 7-lobed, covered with fine 

 star-shaped hairs and have stouter prickles on the midrib and 

 stem. Flowers slightly larger, more blue than violet; 1 to IV2" 

 across. Anthers larger. Berries the same size but never black. 

 April to fall. In waste places. Not as common as the preceding 

 species. Usually in low grounds. 



Solanum rostratum Dunal. Yellow Nightshade. 



Buffalo Bur. 



Bristly, prickly plants with yellow, 5-angled, saucer-shaped 

 flowers 1 inch or less across, and stems, leaves and fruits covered 



