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ATROPA BELLADONNA. 
ATROPA BELLADONNA. 
Deadly Nightshade.* 
Class Pentandria. — Order MoNOGYNiA. 
Nat. Ord. LuRiDiE, Linn. Solan ace^, Juss. 
Gen. Char. Corolla bell-shaped. Stamens distant. Berry 
globular, 2-cellecl. 
Spec. Char. Stem herbaceous. Leaves ovate, entire. 
The Atropa Belladonna! is indigenous to Britain and the 
South of Europe; it is sometimes cultivated in our gardens; in its 
native state we commonly meet with it in shady lanes, on the borders 
of woods, on the sides of ditches, amongst limestone, rubbish, and 
where the ground is rich from manure. We have not often met 
with it in the neighbourhood of London ; and according to Stokes, 
Woodward, Ballard, and others, it is found growing very luxuriantly 
amongst the Mines of Fiiniess Abbey, in the vicinity of Norwich, 
Hard wick Park, Derbyshire, the banks of Dudley Castle, &c. it is 
also very common in many parts of Hertfordshire. 
Deadly nightshade rises with an herbaceous stem to the height 
of two or three and often four feet, much branched and crowded 
with leaves ; the stem is annual, round, slightly pubescent, and of 
a purplish tint ; the leaves are of unequal size, and grow in pairs, 
standing upon short foot-stalks ; in shape, ovate, poir\ted at the 
extremities, somewhat soft, and of a lively green colour ; the flowers 
are drooping and stand solitary upon longish peduncles; the calyx 
is persistent and deeply divided into five segments ; the corolla is 
bell-shaped, monopetalous, and of a dusky purple colour, but 
towards the base inclining to yellow ; the five stamens are shorter 
than the corolla, and support roundish anthers; the germen is 
spherical, supporting a long style crowned with a two-lohed stigma ; 
the fruit is a pulpy berry, (enclosing many seeds,) at first green. 
• Fig. a. represents a sprig, the leaves, flowers and fruit of the natural siae. b. A 
stamen, c. The calyx and pislillqm. d. A section of the perioarpium. e. Seeds, 
t Of the genus Atropa four species are kuowu and cultivated. Horl. Cant, 
