328 
The BRITISH HERBAL. 
The leaves ftand on thorny and long foot- 
ftalks : they are large, and deeply finuated at the 
edges ; and have alfo numerous fharp thorns on 
their libs. 
The colour is a deep green. 
The flowers are numerous : tlicy ftand at the 
tops of t!ie ftalks on flender pedicles, and are 
deeply divided into fegments, and of a fine bhie. 
The fruit is round, and, when ripe, black. 
It is " native of America, and flowers in July. 
Plukenet calls it Solanim annrnm nigricans Vir- 
ginianum fpinqfijfimum flore cariileo. 
7. Prickly Nightfhade with fmooth cups. 
Solanum fpinGfum calycihiis L-cvihus. 
The root is compofed of numerous, fpreading 
fibres. 
The ftalk is firm, upright, prickly, and not 
much branched ; the thorns are lUfF, and very 
fharp i and diey fl:and flrait. 
The leaves are long, and confiderably broad ; 
they have fliort footftalks, they are deeply fi- 
nuated at the edges, and they have fome prickles 
on them. 
The flowers ftand on long, flender, prickly 
footftalks -, and they are large and blue. 
The berries are round, black, and glofiy. 
It is a native of the warmer parts of America 
and Afia, and flowers in July. 
Dillenius calls it Solanum Indiciim fpincjim flore 
horaginis. 
8. Apple of Sodom. 
Solanum fpinis reairvis flore Cccrtdeo. 
The root is long, thick, and furniflied with 
many fibres. 
The flalks are numerous, upright, branched, 
of a pale yellowifh brown colour, and woody fub- 
ftance, and four feet high : they are armed with 
ihort and robuft prickles, which bend fomewhat 
downwards. 
The leaves are long, and confiderably broad : 
they have very Ihort footftalUs ; and they are 
deeply divided at the edges in the pinnated form : 
they are of a dark green ; and they have alfo 
prickles on them. 
The flowers ftand on long footftalks, fome- 
times fingly, fometimes many together ; they are 
large, and of a iky-blue, The fruit is large, 
round, and black. 
It is a native of many parts of the Eafl:, and 
. flowers in July, 
Flukenet calls it So/amm fomiferum frutefcens 
qfficinarum fpinofum nigricans bcraginis flore folzis 
profunde laciniatis. It is called apples cf Sodom 
from the place. 
The fruit has a tempting afped ; but, when 
chewed, the tafte is very difagreeable. 
9. Bahama Nightfhade. 
Solamtm anguflifoUum fpinofum. 
The root is compofed of numerous, thick fibres. 
The ftalk is woody, firm, upright, not much 
branched, and five or fix feet high : it is armed 
with thorns ; but they are ftiort, and not very 
numerous. 
The leaves are numerous, long, narrow, of a 
beautiful green, and fixed on fliort footftalks : 
they are very lightly waved on the edges, and 
they have prickles along the middle rib. 
The flowers arc large and beautiful ; they are 
of a fine pale blue, with a tinge of purple ; and 
have yellow buttons in the centre. 
The berries are fmall, round, and black. 
It is a native of the Bahama iflands, and 
flowers in Auguft. 
Dillenius calls it Sohuiiim Eahamenfe fpinofum 
pelalis anguftis reflexis. The flower is fometimes 
white or flefii-coloured. 
The qualities of thefc foreign nighlfljades are 
not perfedlly known ; but, upon the whole, this ge- 
nus has a much worfe charadler than it deferves.' 
Nigblfljade in general is accounted poifonous ; 
but, as we have fhown with rcfped to moft of 
the fpecies, there is little reafon for fuch a cha- 
rafter. The opinion feems to have arifen from 
confounding the plant next to be defcribed under 
the fame name. 
That is indeed poifonous ; and having, by a 
latitude of fpeech, been called nightfloadt^ all the 
reft have been fuppofed of the fame qualities. 
GENUS XI. 
DEADLY NIGHTSHADE. 
BELLADONA. 
THE flower is formed of a fingle petal, and is deep, hollowed, and very lightly divided into five 
fegments at the edge. The cup is made of a fingle piece, divided into five equal fegments ; 
and it remains when the flower is fallen. The fruit is a round berry, placed in the cup. The feeds 
are kidney-fliapcd. 
Linnsas places it among the ^^H/Wrf^ jjitfBdj^jam ; the threads in the flower being five, and the 
ftyle from the rudiment of the fruit fingle. He takes the received name from the plant, and calls 
it atropa. 
DIVISION I. BRITISH SPECIES. 
Deadly Nightfhade. 
BelladoHa di£ia folaniim Lethale, 
The root is long, large, and creeping. 
The ftalks are numerous, firm, upright, and 
branched : their colour is brown toward the bot- 
tom, and higher up a pale green. 
The leaves are numerous, very large, and of a 
fine ftrong green : they are long and broad, 
pointed at the ends, but not indented at the edges. 
The 
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