SOLANUM DULCAMARA. 9 
Spec. Char. •S'^m unarmed, shrub-growing, winding. Superior 
Leaves halberted. Racemes cymed. 
This species of Solanum * appears to have derived its specific name 
from its sensible qualities, which are both bitter and sweet, hence 
Its English name bitter sweet; and ils Latin name Dulcamara, is a 
composition of the words Dulcis sweet, and Amara bitter. 
The Dulcamara is a climbing shrub, indigenous to Britain, and, 
found growing in moist hedges, where for support, it attaches itself 
to the neighbouring bushes,, extending its branches from bush to 
bush, and climbing to the height of five or six feet. The stalk is 
slender, alternately branched, slightly angular, brittle and hollow, 
and covered with bark of an ash colour, and tliat of the young 
branches is of a purplish hue ; the leaves are oval, pointed, and 
those near the top are halbert shaped, the lower leaves are entire, 
and of a deep green ; tlie flowers hang in cluster or cymje ; the 
corolla is monopetalous, wheel-shaped, divided into five pointed 
segments of a bright purple,t and the base of each marked with 
two round greenish spots ; the calyx is small, and divided into five 
blunt segments of a purplish colour; the five filaments are short, 
and inserted into the tube of ihe corolla; the anthers are yellow, 
erect, and unite at their points; the style somewhat longer than the 
stamina, and crowned by a simple obtuse stigma ; the germen is oval, 
and becomes a roundish bilocular berry, containing many flat yel- 
lowish seeds. 
This species of Solanum has been ranked among the narcotic 
poisons, but from the experiments of M. Dunal, Fages, and Orfila, 
it does not appear to be possessed of any very active properties. 
According to the experiments of M. Dunal, the Dulcamara may be 
given in large doses without any deleterious effects following; he 
has administered as much as four ounces of the watery extract of 
this plant to a dog, at one dose; to another dog he gave one hundred 
and eighty ripe berries; to a cock fifty berries, but in no one 
instance were any ill effects produced upon either of the animals. 
M. Dunal has himself eaten a quantity of the berries without any 
inconvenience. M. Fages, of Montpellier, has given very large 
* The Genus Solanum comprises a numerous tribe, 96 species are enumerated ia 
the the Hort. Cant. 
t Miller sa.ys there is a variety, with white blossoms. Vide Gard. Diet, hf P. Miller, 
C 
